Patchwork
by SmileyBoo
Summary: When their team was formed, the titans chose to start a new chapter in their lives, moving forward without looking back. But when two children appear in the tower, from a future with unexpected circumstances, the titans are forced to come to terms with their pasts and reexamine what it means to be a family, all while dealing with a new villain that might be their fiercest foe yet.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Patchwork

Chapter 1

The moon cast a silvery light over Titans Tower, reflecting off the waves that gently lapped at the rocks on the base of the island. On the mainland, the streets of Jump City shone bright, but by the time those few remaining photons reached the tower, all that could be made out was a soft yellow haze across the bay. Some nights, the tower answered back with its own electric glow, a blinding white from the main ops room, or with the fiery orange-red of the T-ship's engines, but on this night, not even the choppy blue static of an abandoned TV screen marred the tower's glass facade. Each of the five inhabitants had long since gone to bed, and all were sleeping soundly, deeply enmeshed in their respective dreams. It could have been these fanciful night visions, the constant humming from Cyborg's mechanics or the growling from Silkie's stomach as he nibbled on the edges of Starfire's sheets - it could have been Beast Boy's gentle snoring, Robin's panting as he fought within his mind, or even Raven's softly muttered mantra, but for one, or none, or all of these reasons, not one of the titans heard the distinct and sudden crackling coming from the living room.

At first, a spark appeared, a sudden pop. Then came another, followed by three more. Their numbers multiplied, and soon, within these isolated fragments, a black vortex appeared. Purple lighting strikes of energy surrounding the void, increasing in both intensity and volume, until, with no fair warning, two figures tumbled out onto the floor. No sooner had they done so then the void constricted, pulling all its charges towards its center, compressing to the size of a basketball, then hockey puck, then needle tip, then, finally, disappearing from sight. For a moment, the common room reverted to its original state, as if the walls were not alight seconds before. Nothing had changed but for the two small lumps at the foot of the couch. Had this been daytime, then Robin surely would have found them when he sat down to read his morning paper, Raven would have immediately sensed their presence when she entered the room, Beast Boy - had he been paying slight attention - may have smelled an unfamiliar scent. But as it was, the area was vacant, so no one questioned when two eyes shot open, and a voice muttered a quiet "Huh?"

This first unidentified life form untangled its limbs, then lifted up its torso and supported it with one arm, while the other hand rubbed at its tired eyes. It yawned and stretched, then glanced around the room, skimming over its surroundings as if nothing there were odd or out of place. One might have guessed it had been here before, with all the lack of interest that it showed. That is, until its gaze fell on the other lump, still curled into a ball.

"Hey," the first one leaned forward, and crawled up to its partner, "are you awake?"

The other one sighed softly, releasing its grip on its little knees, and rolled onto its other side. The first figure moved closer, and poked its counterpart between the ribs.

"Mm...go...way," a hand lazily made its way up towards the attacker, and halfheartedly swatted at the air before falling back to the ground, "...sleeping."

The one that was awake turned away, as if to go and find some other thing to do, but was then gripped by another yawn of such magnitude that the small figure almost toppled back onto the floor. Realizing that exhaustion was more powerful than the need for present entertainment, the figure stood on wobbly, unsure legs, and tottered towards the common room's main doors. The hall was dark, due to the lack of windows, and the figure ran its hand along the wall to help it with steadying and navigation. It walked until it came upon a corner, then turned and kept on down the second hall. At last the creature found its destination. A familiar door with a familiar nameplate. Somehow it knew the door would not just open, or at least, thought that the chances were not good. Instead, it shrank itself substantially in size, then crawled beneath the door and into the plush carpet of the room. When it regained its size it rubbed its eyes again, and vaguely frowned as if something about the bright magenta room offended. Whatever it had been, the thing decided, it was a problem for another day. For now, the figure climbed upon the bed, changed shape again, circled itself three times, then curled up beside the bed's occupant and closed its eyes. Silkie was not bothered by the intrusion. Though still a mutant silkworm, in its current state, he knew the creature on the bed was harmless. So rather than play guard dog, the larva simply finished the rest of its meal and made itself comfortable on the rug, dreaming happily of feasts where all the dishes had a five hundred thread count.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 2

Starfire usually woke up to one of three things: her alarm clock, the crime alert, or the unpleasant pressure on her scalp as Silkie tried to eat her hair. On this occasion, however, Starfire awoke to what felt like teeth scratching at the back of her hand. Though this was not his typical behavior, Starfire recognized that as her beloved pet grew, he might develop other tastes and peculiarities that she could not possibly anticipate. So if this meant that Silkie wanted to gnaw at her wrists in the morning, she would be supportive and endure it. Still hanging off her bed in her usual sleep position, Starfire smiled out at her distorted view of the bay outside her window. The sun was shining, the water was glistening, and the fact that she was not on the floor meant that Silkie had not managed to eat all of her bedding as she slept - it was going to be a good day.

The scraping at her skin was getting more insistent, so Starfire closed her eyes and prepared her biggest smile for her favorite mutant larva, then swung her torso up and scooped up her darling pet from off the bed.

"Good morning my little bumgo-AHHH!"

Starfire shrieked, eyes widening in confusion when she looked at the creature in her arms. Not only was it not Silkie, whom she now realized had indeed been enjoying her hair this morning, judging by the red strands hanging out of his mouth as he peeked out from under her bed, but the thing she was holding was furry...and...green.

"Meow!" the kitten pawed lightly at her chest, then nuzzled its pale nose into her arm.

"Friend Beast Boy?" She questioned, holding the cat an arms length in front of her, "why have you come into my room unannounced? Please, is there something I might-"

"Star!" Her questions were halted by the sound of her door being knocked down, courtesy of Robin's steel-toed boots.

"What happened?"

Cyborg and Raven were right behind him, sonic cannon and black orbs of energy at the ready. The three intruding titans scanned the room, ready to face any foe that had threatened their friend. But apparently the only threat here was -

"Beast Boy?" Robin asked, "why is he in your room? Did he do something to you?"

His tone was accusatory, but it was clear to Raven and Cyborg that if Beast Boy was still in one piece and not blasted into bits, there was nothing to be concerned about. Starfire was nothing if not capable of defending herself. As such, Cyborg powered down and Raven lowered herself back to the ground.

"I know not why he is in my dwelling. He was beside me when I woke up. But, friend Beast Boy," Starfire turned from Robin to the kitten, "perhaps you would enlighten us?"

Raven raised an eyebrow, and Cyborg folded his arms. This was not going to end well for Beast Boy, they could tell.

"Yes, Beast Boy," Robin gritted his teeth, "enlighten us as to why you were in my girlfriend's _bed_."

The kitten leapt from Starfire's outstretched arms onto her chest, then crawled onto her shoulders and hid in her long red locks.

"Beast Boy!" Robin stepped closer to the pair, "get out from there!"

The cat mewled and burrowed deeper into Starfire's hair, pulling and tangling it in the process.

"Oh - friend Beast Boy, that is most uncomfortable! Might you please remove yourself from me?"

The cat ignored her.

"BEAST BOY!" Robin growled.

"Dude!" The teen in question stepped through the broken doorway, "I'm here! Stop yelling at me!"

Everyone's eyes snapped immediately from the cat to Beast Boy.

"Uh...did I do something wrong?"

Robin furrowed his brow.

"But you...you weren't here?" Robin looked behind him once more, confirming that he wasn't hallucinating the green creature behind him.

"You were _just_ yelling for me to get up! Why would you have done that if I was here?" Beast Boy looked at him blankly.

"Because," Raven answered, gesturing to the animal hidden in Starfire's mane, "we thought you _were_ here."

Beast Boy looked quizzically at Starfire.

"Uh...what? Why would you think that?"

Starfire, with much difficulty considering her Tamaranean strength, managed to remove the whining kitten from her hair and placed it on the ground in front of her.

"Eek!" Beast Boy cried, jumping back in fear, "it's green!"

Raven rolled her eyes.

" _You're_ green, Beast Boy."

"Yeah," he protested, "but other cats aren't supposed to be!"

Cyborg scratched his head.

"Well if this ain't BB, then who is it?"

"Or _what_ is it! It could be another one of those green dog aliens here to force me to take their place as a pet!" Beast Boy fell to his knees in front of his teammates, "don't let them take me!"

Cyborg rested a firm hand on the teen's shoulder.

"No one's gonna take you, BB."

Raven folded her arms and shook her head at him.

"Drama queen."

Now that it was confirmed that Beast Boy had nothing to do with the strange visitor, Starfire was warming up to the cat, and picked it back up, sitting down with it on her bed.

"Maybe Beast Boy's right," Robin agreed, thinking it over, "it could be another animal from whatever planet the green dog came from."

"Could be," Cyborg opened a panel on his arm, "I still got the DNA signature from the other one, so we can check it against this little guy and see if there are any similar genetic markers."

As Cyborg pulled up the necessary data, Beast Boy morphed into a cat himself, and jumped up next to Starfire so he could get a closer look. He swatted a friendly paw at the youngster, and the kitten swiped back.

"How wondrous!" Starfire giggled.

"Adorable." Raven deadpanned. Beast Boy hissed and clawed the air in her direction.

"Now, now, my little bumgorf, you have played for long enough!" Starfire shooed Beast Boy off the bed, and pulled her new furry friend towards her. "It is almost the time for Silkie's bath, but since you are our most treasured guest, you may go first!"

Robin's ears perked up at the mention of the tongue-swathing 'bath' ritual Starfire performed for her pets.

"Uh, Star, maybe you shouldn't do that."

"Yeah," Cyborg nodded, "that thing might not even be from this planet - you don't know what kind of weird microbes it might be carrying."

Beast Boy, still in cat form, leaped back onto the bed and licked the kitten's cheek, sat back for a moment, waiting for something to happen, then meowed in approval.

"See," Starfire grinned, "friend Beast Boy has confirmed that my new bumgorf is harmless." Starfire snuggled the kitten closer. "So now, may the bathing commence!"

Beast Boy jumped away, and the rest of the titans tried not to gag as Starfire unleashed her sizeable tongue and brought it towards the helpless animal. It squirmed in her arms, but Starfire held him in place. Her tongue came ever closer, and when seemed the kitten could back away no more, a sudden force caused Starfire to lose her grip, and something green, but no longer so catlike, rolled onto the ground. It lifted its head and waved its shaggy tail, barking at Starfire and playfully nipping at her feet as she tried in vain to catch it.

"I told you it was the dog!" Beast Boy reverted to his own human form, and dove behind Raven, using her cloak as a shield.

Raven was about to rip the cloth away and lecture him about touching other people's things, when, before their eyes, the small green dog transformed into a small green boy.

"I don't want a bath, Mommy! I don't wanna!"

Raven's focus jumped immediately back to Starfire.

"Mommy?" Cyborg repeated, incredulous, as the boy scampered behind him, hiding from the threat of cleanliness.

"Three guesses who 'Daddy' is," Raven glared at Beast Boy behind the cloak.

"Ew!" Beast Boy scowled, dropping the blue material, "like I would ever..."

Robin couldn't focus on the rest of the conversation. All he was aware of was that _his_ girlfriend was the apparent mother of a _green_ child that clearly must belong to his equally as _green_ teammate, which meant that-

"BEAST BOY!" Robin lunged for him.

"AHHH!"

Beast Boy dove again for Raven's cloak, but this time he didn't have to. Cyborg and Raven were already blocking Robin's path.

"Let go of me!" Cyborg held Robin in a death grip, waiting for him to cool down.

"Chill man. We would know if Starfire and Beast Boy were up to any hanky panky - dude can't keep a secret!"

"Hey! Can to!" Beast Boy wriggled out from behind his friends, missing the point completely. "But I don't even like Starfire that way! And there are like 50 reasons that kid could be green!" Beast Boy started counting off on his fingers, "green hair dye, paint ball gone wrong, jumping in a pool of green jello, zombie apocalypse where the first sign of the virus is the green skin ro- " Raven slapped a hand over Beast Boy's mouth while Robin fumed.

"Those are all stupid examples!" Robin seethed.

"Mphre nopht!" Beast Boy struggled to be heard behind the empath's palm.

"Guys, we don't even know what we're dealing with here!"

"I do not understand - what is it that Beast Boy and I did?"

"Nphnthng!"

"Stop trying to talk!"

"If you know what's good for you, you'll-"

"DADDY!" the little boy cried, tugging on the leg of his second names parent, "don't be mad, please?"

The titans all stopped and turned towards the sound of the little boy's voice. He had tears running down his cheeks, and the owner of the calf that he was clinging to was none other than...Robin.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 3

"All right, all right - everyone just be cool!"

Cyborg waved his hands, trying desperately to catch the attention of his teammates. Robin's pacing was a little too intense for his liking, and Beast Boy's shouts of "see! I told you he wasn't mine!" were certainly not helping. Raven stopped trying to cover his mouth when he took a page out of Starfire's book and started licking her fingers. Now, she was just trying to stay calm amidst all the heightened emotions in the room.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

"Really Raven?" Cyborg cried, exasperated, "I could use a little help here!"

The empath maintained her lotus position, but responded,

"Azarath, metrion - I'm trying not to destroy the tower. You're welcome."

Cyborg sighed. Starfire was often the one to diffuse the situation, but she was busy examining the child, prodding him to see if he was indeed as real as he appeared, and searching his emerald features for some clue as to what was going on or where he came from. None of these reactions was wholly unexpected, but sometimes Cyborg wished there was another mature almost-adult around. The mess of teens around him just didn't quite cut it. Cyborg took a breath, then tried again.

"Guys! Come on! We have to focus here!"

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

"But it's not my fault!" Cried Beast Boy.

"Azarath-"

"I _am_ focusing!" Growled Robin while Starfire proceeded to pick the boy up by his leg and dangle him above the ground.

"Metrion-"

"On my planet," she addressed the group, as the boy swung dangerously from her grip, "children can fly from their very day of birth. Therefore, little one, let the truth of your claims be tested!" The boy shrieked as she flung him up into the air, and flailed his limbs as though he might be able to swim through the atmosphere instead of crash landing.

"ENOUGH!"

The child's eyes shot open at the unexpected sound, and he found himself hovering a few feet off the ground, encased in a black sphere of Raven's creation. Of course, this abrupt rescue from what surely would have been a broken arm or leg, did little for the child's mental state, and thus he promptly burst into tears. "What is wrong with all of you? We have no idea who this child is or where he came from. Like Cyborg said - we need to do a DNA analysis. So, med bay. NOW." Raven ordered, as she levitated the sobbing youngster into her arms and stormed out the door. Cyborg grinned. He wouldn't call her tactics particularly mature, but gosh, did Cyborg love it when she came through.

Despite her grand departure from Starfire's bedroom, wherein she acted the part of savior to a severely traumatized young boy, Raven was not very fond of children. True, she had managed to forge a bond with the child heroes she had babysat on a prior mission, but she would be remiss to say that she enjoyed more than thirty percent of the time she spent with them. Settling disputes about whose turn it was to play with a toy or who ripped whose blanket seemed rather trivial when she spent her days dealing with high powered criminals threatening world domination. But, of course, most children don't see the two as differing much in severity. In this case, though, the child in question had been admittedly in danger, so she allowed him to sob into her shoulder, burying his wet and snotty face into her cloak.

"Raven," Beast Boy tried to keep up as she strode down the hall, "wait up!"

She ignored him and kept walking. focusing on patting the boy's back in what she assumed was a comforting enough fashion. Raven would have levitated, but from her experiences with the other super powered children she had cared for, that was more likely to result in puke rather than comfort. The little boy sniffled.

"Be quiet, Beast Boy. You're scaring him."

Beast Boy shot her an incredulous look.

"Me? This wasn't even my fault! Starfire was the one who..."

But Raven had already phased through the floor. Hopefully that particular mode of transportation wouldn't have any adverse effects on the kid's stomach. Either way, the boy was suffering from some pretty serious shock, and it didn't take an empath to tell that he was terrified. He probably needed as much space from the others as she did.

The boy pushed his face into Raven's neck as the LEDs sputtered to life in the med bay, and tearily resisted when she tried to put him down on one of the beds.

"Ugh, you want to sit with me? Fine."

Raven hoisted herself onto the mattress, but misjudged the amount of force she needed with the added weight, and ended up losing her balance and falling back onto the mattress, the boy's head knocking hard into her jaw.

"Ow..." she muttered, then switched her focus to the boy, "you ok, kid?"

The boy scrambled out from the nest of damp cloak and hair, then nodded as he repositioned himself next to Raven's side.

"Good." Groaning, Raven sat up, and rubbed her tender jawline. "I knew you were thickheaded, but that was ridiculous," she spat.

Couldn't Beast Boy ever just leave her alone? Raven's eyes shot open. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. Despite their similar skin tone, the child before her was _not_ Beast Boy. He didn't deserve her biting words, and he certainly wasn't going to brush it off like Beast Boy would. The kid would probably start crying harder, or-

"Ha!" A loud, high pitched chuckle brought her back to reality, "you're funny!"

Phew. Raven was lucky this kid seemed to have a good sense of humor. Or a bad one, depending on how you looked at it.

"Probably because I used to be a clown in another life."

That really got him giggling, and she noticed, with some pride, that he started wiping the rest of the moisture from his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Aunt Raven?" He scooched closer to the titan, wrapping his arms around her and snuggling into her chest, "do you think Daddy's mad at me?"

Notwithstanding her discomfort with being called so endearing a term as 'aunt', Raven was dumbfounded. This child's self-proclaimed mother had intentionally almost killed him five minutes ago, but here he was worrying about what Robin thought? Raven hadn't had what one would call a traditional upbringing, but even she could tell that this did not bode well for Robin's parenting style. Raven patted the boy on the back.

"Ro-I mean, your dad is...um...just... _confused_ right now."

She could have told him that Robin wasn't mad at him, or that Robin's unpleasant mood wasn't his fault, but Raven didn't believe in lying, so the kid would have to deal with it. Sometimes dads were the worst, even if they are the boy wonder himself. The kid might as well learn it sooner rather than later. The child nodded, and resigned himself to playing with her cloak. Cloak-envy. Yet another Beast Boy trait. While the child occupied himself, she took the opportunity, before her friends showed up, to study his face. Obviously the first noticeable thing was the green pigment covering his body, but what was striking was that he was _only_ green. Not even the whites of his eyes were, well, white. Much like Starfire, his irises were just a slightly darker green than the rest of his lime-tinted eyes. His brows, she also noted, were also the same shape as Starfire's, and his hair, though mussed from earlier encounters, was not the messy fields of Beast Boy's grassy tendrils, but soft and gentle waves of a bottle green sea. The frontmost locks curled into Starfire's bangs, hanging across hit small forehead. The nose was Star's as well, but the fang jutting out from that lower lip was unmistakably Beast Boy. Raven shook her head. What could possibly have happened in their future to cause this? Not that the boy had mentioned being from the future, of course, but Raven was a smart young woman, and his ability to find his mother's room in the dark at night, plus his immediate recognition of the titans heavily implied that he was probably their legitimate future progeny. Robin was not going to be happy once it was confirmed. Raven sighed and looked down at the child in her arms. Poor little guy. He was in for a rough ride.

"Robin," Cyborg's voice resounded through the hall, "I can't let you go in there if you can't be cool about this. He's just a little kid - you can't take...whatever this is...out on him."

A pause. Then a grumbled, "fine. But the second I see any sort of danger -"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, plenty of butt kickin' for all," Beast Boy cut in.

Raven tensed, her arms instinctively closing tighter around the boy. In theory, her friends only wanted to help, but based upon what she had seen this morning, they were making things substantially worse in practice. Beast Boy was the first to enter the room, pushing past Cyborg and leaping onto the overcrowded bed.

"Beast Boy..." Raven warned as he squeezed beside her. As usual, he paid her no attention.

"Hey buddy," he coaxed the boy, "I'm sorry about all that craziness before. Are you doing ok?"

The child nodded from the safety of Raven's arms.

"Great! You guys had me worried for a second there! You disappeared on us! One second you were there, and the next-POOF-you were gone! How'd you do that, little man?"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"You know exactly how my powers-"

Beast Boy covered her mouth with his hand, "I wasn't asking you!" He gestured to the boy, "I was asking him!"

He let her go with a wink. She glared in response. The little boy looked left, then right, then over both shoulders, making a big show of it, and wriggled out of Raven's grasp.

"It's a secret," he whispered, and gestured for Beast Boy to come closer. The teen played along, doing his own exaggerated check to make sure no one was watching, then leaned towards the kid and turned his head. "It's...it's..." he whispered, and Beast Boy leaned in further, "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" he screamed as loudly as he could.

"Ahhhh!" Beast Boy toppled off the bed clutching his head, "my ears! My sensitive ears!" The boy was howling too-with laughter, and though Raven did say "that wasn't very nice," she did add, "but it _was_ funny."

The boy beamed at her, grinning from ear to pointed ear.

"Uncle Beast Boy is a good pranker," he informed her, "but I'm gonna show him I can be even better!"

Raven wasn't sure that deafening someone was a legitimate prank, but the child couldn't be more than five, so she gave him a break. Beast Boy got up once the ringing in his ears died down, then hopped back up on the bed.

"That was mean, little dude," he grinned evilly, "so you're gonna have to pay!"

Starfire watched the ensuing tickle fight from her spot by the large computer, waiting for Cyborg to finish his analysis of the green fur they pulled from her sheets. torn between joining the trio on the medical bed and standing by to see the results of the genetic analysis, but eventually opted for the latter. She had to know. How could she possibly have conceived a child with Beast Boy? How could anyone have succeeded in such a thing, even in a lab? He was human, an entirely different species - was it even possible?

"What does it say?" Robin's voice anchored her back to the present.

Cyborg pulled up the analytics for the boy's DNA, cross referencing it with Starfire and Beast Boy's, both of which were already in the system.

"It's a match," Cyborg confirmed, "he's the real deal. That kid right there is definitely Starfire and Beast Boy's."

Robin said nothing, but it was clear from the way his fists were balling, and the was the muscles in his neck tensed, that he was not thrilled.

"Yo, BB!" Cyborg called over, "congrats!"

"Huh?" Beast Boy, totally lost in his tickle monster role, had all but forgotten the reason they were here in the first place.

"It seems, despite your obvious denial, that you are indeed the 'Daddy'," Raven clarified. "Can't say I'm surprised."

"Why?" Beast Boy waggled his eyebrows, "did his devilishly handsome ears remind you of mine?"

"No," Raven countered, "it was his sense of humor."

"Hah!" Beast Boy smiled smugly, then faltered and snapped his head back to her, "wait? Was that a compliment or an insult?"

Raven shrugged.

"You'll have to decide for yourself."

"Uncle Beast Boy?" The boy on his lap tapped his arm, "what do they mean you're a 'Daddy'? Everyone knows that-"

"I'm _your_ Daddy!" Beast Boy smiled, teeth and all, hugging the tyke.

"No! No no no no NO!"

Beast Boy didn't understand. Why was the kid fighting him? Weren't they having fun two minutes ago?

"Dude - what's wrong?"

"You're _not_ my Daddy!" He screeched, then turned into a little green mouse to escape Beast Boy's firm hold.

"Hey! Wait!" Raven held her teammate back, "Raven, let go! What's you're problem?"

"You just told a little boy who has no idea what the term biological father even means, that you're his dad, instead of the man who raised him his entire life."

Beast Boy cocked his head.

"So...I'm guessing that's bad?"

Raven leaned her face against her hand and groaned.

"...I'm going to that that as a yes."

Starfire, though still trying to process the information she had been given, was ever the compassionate one. Thus, she was certain that however confused and odd she was feeling, the little boy - _her_ little boy - was suffering tenfold. And as his newfound mother, it was her duty to comfort him and restore him to his previous high spirits. Starfire wore her emotions on her sleeve, and was well aware that as much as she was affected by those around her, children were that much more impressionable. At least, they were on Tamaran. But her child must also be part Tamaranean, so any assumptions to be made about him in reference to her own childhood must be true for him as well! Comforted by these thoughts, she flew over to Raven and Beast Boy, neither of which appeared to be in particularly good spirits.

"Friends," she greeted them, noticing the lack of a green child amongst them, "where might my new bumgorf be?"

"Probably hiding from the genius that claimed to be his real father."

Starfire was puzzled.

"Sorry? I believe I do not understand."

"He ran away from Beast Boy," Raven amended, "he turned into a mouse and ran away."

Starfire's eyes began to glow a dangerous neon, "my son ran away and you did not think to _follow_ _him_?"

"He...he..." Beast Boy gulped, chuckling nervously, "Star, I-I'm sure he's fine!"

"He probably went to go find Robin," Raven speculated, unfazed by her friend's display, "he seems to really worship the guy."

This had an immediate calming effect on Starfire.

"Of course!" She smiled, clasping her hands, "Robin will be sure to make sure he comes to no harm!"

"Yeah!" Beast Boy chimed in, happy to be off the hook, "he said Robin was his dad, right? I'm sure papa Rob'll take good care of him!"

"Thank you, friends!" Starfire called back as she flew out the metal doors, "I shall let you know when I find them!"

"Phew!" Beast Boy let out a long breath and let himself fall back onto the med bay bed, barely missing Raven. "That was close!"

"Beast Boy," Raven chided, "you need to get up."

"No I don't! There's no alarm, no kid that I'm responsible for - I'm a free man!"

"No, you're not," Raven's voice grew irritated, "you need to find him. _Now._ "

"But you just said he's with Robin!" He whined, sitting back up.

"And he probably was. For five seconds before Robin kicked him out. Knowing him he's probably going over security footage now to figure out how exactly an unarmed child made its way into the tower without triggering any alarms."

"Uh," Beast Boy gulped, "you don't think he'd enjoy the company?"

Raven rolled her eyes, then shoved the green teen off the bed.

"Get going."

"Aren't you going to help?" He pouted.

"I'm going to see if I can sense where he is in the tower," Beast Boy moved to speak but Raven stopped him, "and yes, you do still need to track him. It's a big tower, and I have a feeling that Starfire will go easier on you if you're already an active part of the search party."

"Ugh, fine."

Beast Boy morphed into a bloodhound and sniffed the mattress of the med bay bed, familiarizing himself with the scent of what he would now refer to as _Starfire's_ son, then took off into the hallway, barking a quick goodbye to Raven, who was already chanting her mantra.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Teen Titans.

Chapter 4

"Again."

Cyborg rewound the tape for the tenth time, and stared at the flecks of light dancing around the screen with disinterest. At this point, he could play the footage back in his mind even without his photographic memory. Cyborg had no idea what his leader thought he was going to find in the blinking images, but he could tell that Robin wasn't in the right head space to have his actions questioned. Not that he ever took kindly to criticism in the first place. At least the pointless task gave him something else to focus on aside from the more upsetting aspects of the situation. They watched again as a dark mass shot out from the portal, then tumbled out of view behind the couch. Cyborg was unimpressed by the quality of the recording. He really needed to upgrade their internal surveillance tech. And get more cameras. The fact that there was only one angle on this part of the common room was embarrassing.

Anticipating the caped crusader's next request, Cyborg played the tape back yet again, then turned back to his own computer to resume his own, more useful line of research. Whatever that vortex was, it was clearly had enough juice to transport a whole person from out of nowhere. Something with that much power had to give off some sort of unique signature, and Cyborg was willing to bet that once he finished analyzing last night's electrical field data from the main ops room, he was going to find a very familiar fingerprint.

"There!" Robin jabbed at the monitor, "pause it now!"

Despite the fact that Robin had two very capable hands and could easily stop the film himself, Cyborg obliged.

"What is it, man?"

"Look! Right there!" Robin pointed to the rim of the portal, just a few frames after the little boy had fallen through.

Cyborg squinted, but all he could make out was the green fabric of Robin's glove.

"Maybe I could, if you moved your hand."

Robin scowled, but took a step back from the screen.

"You see the thing coming out of the portal?'

"You mean the kid?"

"No," Robin shook his head, "the hand pushing him through."

Cyborg's mechanical eye zoomed in and examined the pixels, which, just like Robin had claimed, deeply resembled a hand. Before he could weigh in on this discovery, a loud beeping informed him that the data he was working with had finished being cross-referenced. Alongside the tower's readings was another matching reading from a museum the teens had visited on one occasion, fighting a man who was in not only the wrong place, but the wrong time.

"Friends," Starfire burst into the evidence room, "have either of you seen my bumgorf?"

Starfire had, much to her shame, never asked the little boy his name, so she resorted to the endearing Tamaranean term she usually reserved for Silkie. The boys jumped up at the sudden, unexpected voice, neither welcoming the sudden interruption. Robin was quick to look back down and focus on anything but the girl before them.

"Haven't seen him," Cyborg shrugged, then correctly guessed, "you lose him already?"

"Oh-no!" Starfire tried to cover up the situation, "Raven and Beast Boy had suggested that he might have gone looking for Robin, but I see they were mistaken!" Her smile was forced and overeager as she continued, "therefore he must have gone...to the kitchen!"

Yes, of course. Children were always hungry! Perhaps he had gone in search of nourishment and sought out the leftover glorg in the fridge. That sounded most plausible.

"I should meet him there - so...bye!" Starfire grinned for real this time and gave a quick wave before zooming out the door.

It just so happened that Beast Boy was also headed to the common room, not for food, though his stomach was quite grumbly, but because the smaller green boy's scent led directly through the main doors. Once in the room his canine ears perked up, and made out the faint sound of high-pitched whispers. He made to follow them, advancing on the couch, when Starfire flew past him, startling him into transforming back into the lanky form he usually held, and falling to his bottom on the floor.

"Ow," he rubbed his sore behind.

"Oh bumgooorrrfff," Starfire drew out the word, "please do the telling of where I might find you!"

Unaware of Beast Boy's suspicions about the area in front of the TV, the Tamaranean circled back to the kitchen, landing beside the island counter.

"Might you be hiding in the cupboard?" Starfire asked aloud, yanking the small doors open.

The cabinets held far more empty candy wrappers and discarded take out containers than dishes. Of course, this could have been because said dishes were piled in a heap of jagged fragments, beneath the remnants of the shelves a certain silkworm had enjoyed for dinner a few weeks before. No one had told Robin. Starfire intended to keep it that way. It was a common misconception that Beast Boy was the only titan with tendencies towards laziness and messiness, but this was by no means the case. He was just much worse at hiding it. Cyborg's personal disaster-place was the garage, where grease stains marred the walls and filthy rags were strew about the floor. Raven's tea caused watermarks on multiple tabletops throughout the tower, which she deftly hid beneath various magazines and pillows. Even Robin's evidence room looked like a tornado of newspaper clippings and pushpins had run through, though he insisted that it was immaculately organized in a way only he could decipher. In Starfire's case, the issue tended to be with the various kitchen utensils and pots she routinely ruined while attempting to make comfort food from her home world, which she did her best to dispose of and replace when no one was looking. Yet, when it came to the messes that they all jointly contributed to, the general feeling amongst for out of five titans was that it was enough that they were able to do a good job keeping the city safe. Any further responsibility was just too much to ask. So they left old fruit in the fridge and dishes in the sink, avoided the vacuum cleaner and shirked garbage duty - all until Robin caught sight of something that was "completely unacceptable", and forced the teens to clean it up. When Cyborg heard a crash and went to investigate on that unfortunate afternoon when Silkie chose to wreak havoc on their pottery wares, the idea of having to rebuild the splintered shelves was just too much, and he made the others promise not to let their leader get wind of it. Starfire shut the doors before Robin had a chance to surprise her. She wasn't sure how the current situation ranked against destruction of personal property in their leader's book, and she didn't want to be stuck buying plywood when she could be comforting her child. Her still very much missing child.

"Are you under the sink?"

She peered behind the dusty cleaning chemicals and rubber gloves beneath the basin, but there was nothing there but cobwebs. She struggled to hold in a sneeze.

"The fridge, perhaps?"

She swung the stainless steel door open and saw something move - something that was _not_ one of her Tamaranean puddings. Without thinking twice, she blasted at the furry blue beast, spraying its spongy innards around the fridge. Her food was known to have a... _possessive_ quality when it came to Earthen bread mold, but that didn't mean it wasn't terrifying every time someone saw one of the little demons. She eyed the charred plastic of the walls and the melting bulb on the cold container's ceiling. Maybe no one would notice. She closed the door with a thump.

"Little blue dudes back in action?" Beast Boy called from across the room.

"I am afraid so," Starfire grimaced, "they are most...freaky. I fear one day they shall advance beyond the fridge and venture into our rooms and-"

"No more! No more!" Beast Boy cried, covering his ears.

"Stop it..." someone muttered from beyond the couch, "...too loud..."

"Shh! They'll hear you!" Pleaded a voice too quiet for Starfire to hear, but which Beast Boy immediately recognized as the boy's.

Despite the nightmarish scenario Starfire had scarred him with mere seconds before. Beast Boy felt that this would be the perfect time to terrorize the kid by jumping, unexpected, from behind the sofa. But which animal to approach with? A bear? Too clunky. A mouse? Too small? Would a tiger be too much? No, definitely not. Who doesn't love a tiger? After the initial fear of being eaten goes away. Beast Boy shifted into his new feline form and prepared to pounce. One...two...three...

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Bumgorf!" Starfire sped over to the sofa, taking the high-pitched screech to be that of her lost child.

But it was not the mini box turtle hiding inside his shell making such a noise - it was Beast Boy.

"What is the matter?" She asked, confused.

"There!" Beast Boy squeaked, "What is that?"

Starfire cautiously approached the offending element, which seemed to be covered in some sort of cloth. Carefully, the young woman lifted a corner of the fabric to peek inside.

"Leave me ALONE!" A deep voice growled from within, and Starfire gasped as a large black claw reached out for her, narrowly missing her leg.

"Marie!" Cried the boy, morphing back into the green child they recognized, "don't do that!"

"Don't wake me up!" Countered an almost demonic voice, still obscured beneath the fabric.

"But-"

"Silence!" The bundled creature rose into the air, two glowing red eyes glaring from a break in the blanket.

The little boy burst into tears, and the one that he had called Marie floated back down, the red glow fading fast. Marie rushed to the boy's side, abandoning the blanket as it loosened and slid off onto the ground.

"I'm sorry Ryan," Marie placed a peach arm around the boy's shoulders, "don't cry."

The green child ignored her request, and his wails grew more pronounced.

"I said I'm sorry," Marie said more sternly, as if the repetition of the claim would make him stop.

The boy turned towards his friend and flung his arms around her back, crushing her in a hug much too strong for someone of his size. Marie seemed much more bothered by the outburst of emotion than the air escaping her lungs, but begrudgingly patted his head.

It wasn't so much the way she stiffened at the hug, or even the black energy she used to generate the talons that attacked Starfire, that clued Beast Boy in, but the distinct way she huffed and rolled her eyes. The unmistakable technique that only one person in the tower had perfected over years of listening to the green teen's many humorless jokes. There could be no mistake. The child had to be -

"Daddy," she raised a single eyebrow, still locked in Ryan's embrace, "why are you staring at me?"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Teen Titans.

Chapter 5

The only thought running through Beast Boy's mind was 'run'. He wasn't sure how long it would take Raven to find them, but was certain it was going to be soon. He couldn't be here when that happened. He took one of his faster forms and sped past Starfire, then lunged through the open doors-wait...open? Why were the doors-OOMPH!

The power with which the green cheetah bounded into its unintended target sent both flying back into the hallway, landing in a pile of tangled paws and limbs.

"Beast Boy," growled a gravelly voice from underneath him, "get off me. NOW."

The lithe feline shrank into a chipmunk, and extricated himself from the angry half-demon. Raven stood up and brushed the dust from off her cape. Someone really needed to vacuum. Somebody other than Raven. She didn't understand why they couldn't just get a cleaning crew to come once in a while. Robin claimed it was a possible security threat, and wasn't in their budget. Oh well. If bird boy wanted to live in a home with filthy floors, that was his business.

"So," Raven asked the dizzy changeling, who was clutching a hand to his head, "did you find him?"

"What?" Beast Boy's eyes were still unfocused, watching the blurry stars spotting his vision..

"The green kid who was terrified to know you share the same DNA?"

"Green...DNA..." he repeated lamely.

"Why do I even bother?" Raven sighed, stepping around the dazed teen.

"Wait...don't...don't..." Beast Boy was vaguely aware that there was a reason he was out here. Something to do with fear and the main ops room.

"Don't what?" Raven folded her arms.

"The living room..." Beast Boy spoke, more to himself than his teammate, "there's something...in there..."

True, their unexpected collision had knocked the specific knowledge of what exactly he had seen there clean out of his brain, but for him to be rushing away as quickly as he had been, it must have been something horrible.

"Why not?" She pressed him.

"Uh...because..." Beast Boy scratched the back of his head.

"Because what? You'd like me to stay out here so you can try attacking me as a lion this time?" Raven rolled her eyes and made her way through the doors.

Ugh...what was it? Beast Boy wracked his brain. Maybe a shape shifting helmet would be a good idea in future. He'd have to talk to Cy about it later.

"Dry your eyes little one," Starfire rocked a still-teary Ryan in her arms, "all will be well!"

Raven was relieved to see the little boy had calmed down since the incident in the med bay.

"Cry-baby," another voice muttered.

Raven registered this unfamiliar tone, but just as she turned to find its source, another, shriller shriek stole her attention.

"No!" Beast Boy took to the air as a falcon before landing beside the startled young girl and shoving her behind him.

"What are you doing Da-" a green tentacle slapped against her mouth, while the rest of the octopod's arms held her in place. Now he remembered why he was running. He should have left when he had the chance instead of foolishly following Raven back in here. He could be happily barricading his bedroom door right now. Instead, he was trying to silence a squirming pre-kindergartener while his life flashed before his cephalopodian eyes.

"Um...Beast Boy?" Starfire and the green boy in her lap, sniffles sufficiently silenced, stared at the titan, "what is it that you are doing?"

Raven was equally as confused. Clearly, there was a second child that had arrived with the initial boy, but that wasn't a good reason to start smothering them. She levitated closer to the struggling twosome, evenly taking note of the girl's black hair and pale pink skin. But it was only when a pair of piercing blue eyes locked onto hers that she knew for sure. There was only one titan - one _person_ \- Raven had ever seen with eyes of such a bold and striking cornflower hue. Not that anyone else knew, of course. Raven doubted if he even took his mask off for his girlfriend, or if, in fact, it wasn't superglued onto his face. But Raven, having once forced her way into his mind to save him from himself, had taken an inadvertent trip throughout his memories, and, for one fleeting instant, saw him stare into his naked face before he donned the mask for the first time.

"Well," Raven looked towards Starfire, "at least you have one kid that looks like Robin."

Starfire furrowed her brow in confusion.

"But friend Raven, Robin cannot be that girl's father."

Raven frowned.

"Why not?" There was no way anyone else could have given the child those unique eyes and jet black hair, whose ends, Raven now noticed, were sticking up in jagged Robin-esque spikes against the binding tentacles.

"Why not what?" The young man in question walked through the sliding doors with Cyborg, and headed over to the rest of his team.

"What did we miss?" Cyborg asked, before registering who, or what was in the room.

"Oh, nothing," Raven gestured to the child draped in octopus, "Beast Boy's just playing with our newest find."

"Hey Rob," Cyborg pointed at the girl, able to see the resemblance even without having seen his leader's eyes, "this one looks like you!"

Robin's curiosity was piqued, but, as usual, he showed no outer sign of emotion except for his trademark seriousness.

"Beast Boy," he ordered, "let her go!"

Beast Boy shook his blobby head, refusing to obey the direct command. Robin huffed. He didn't want to have to fight the green bean. If his and Cyborg's theory was correct, they would have a lot of work ahead of them, and they really couldn't afford to have any titans incapacitated due to bo-staff injuries.

Beast Boy knew where this was going. Robin was reluctantly pulling a birdarang out of his utility belt, which never bode well. But the pain of Raven's wrath was going to be much worse. He was sure of it. Whatever physical pain the other titans might cause, Raven could quadruple it, and then some. It had occurred to Beast Boy, on numerous occasions, that if Raven just allowed herself to lose a little more control, she could easily dispose of every villain they came up against, all on her own. He guessed the reason that she didn't was because she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crossing certain lines that would definitely get her kicked off the team. And possibly locked up in jail. For five seconds. Until she escaped. And went after her former fellow titans. Yeah...maybe reserved Raven was better than all-powerful-angry-murderous-butt-kicking Raven. But that didn't stop him from fantasizing about her taking care of missions without the rest of them, on days when he _really_ wanted to sleep in.

"Come on, man," Cyborg warned him, "don't make Robin go all kung-fu on you. Just let the kid go."

Beast Boy held firm.

"Alright," Robin cracked his knuckles, preparing to face Beast Boy's suckered limbs, "have it your way."

But before Robin could make his move, Beast Boy's body was encased in black, his arms ripped from the small girl, and then flung into the glass window behind him with a loud crack. Cyborg winced. He hated when his tower was maimed. Especially by the titans on their days off. He made a mental note to go out and buy some more glass panes. After he replaced this newly fractured one, there would only be four left. That wasn't nearly enough.

"Nice going, Raven," Robin nodded at her.

"That...wasn't me..."

The two birds shot each other confused glances.

"But..." Robin started.

"DADDY!" The liberated girl hit the green teen on the floor, "don't _do_ that!"

All eyes shot to the small speaker.

"You know you can't beat me! I always get out," she smiled smugly.

Raven heard what the girl called Beast Boy. She stared at the heart-shaped face and pointed chin. She took in the arched brows and the shape of the round eyes with their familiar dark lashes. Then she promptly phased into the floor, as everything in the common room turned black and burst.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 6

"Aww man..." Cyborg moaned.

Forget the window, The couch cushions were torn apart, the TV was leaking sparks, the kitchen cabinets had splintered, and the fridge had its door ripped off - which honestly was probably for the best. At least this way Robin wouldn't find out about Silkie's new appetite for wooden shelves. At the rate the mutant larva was eating, there wouldn't be any cabinets left, let alone shelves. Maybe it was time they switched to steel instead of plant-based building materials. Not that Silkie possessed a very discerning palate. The fridge, for its own part, had developed a combined scent of hot garbage and sulfur, with a little spoiled milk thrown in for good measure. Buying a new one would be so much easier than sanitizing the old, doorless one with no ability to cool, all courtesy of Raven. The oldest titan grumbled to himself. The updates he had planned on making to his precious T-car would be postponed yet again. Why did these things always fall on him? Perhaps if Raven were the one forced to repair the tower, she would be more careful. Yes, Cyborg was fully aware of the empath's eternal struggle to keep her emotions in check. However, being the one who had to deal with the aftermath, Cyborg felt that his ire was more than justified.

Robin's train of thought was focused more on the ever-increasing costs that having superhuman roommates incurred. He never shared the details of who exactly it was who sponsored the titans fairly comfortable lifestyle, but suffice to say it reflected poorly on Robin, specifically, when he had to ask for additional funds because he 'couldn't keep his team under control'. Living only off of their small stipend from the city would be hard, but if he never had to face the overbearing judgment of the man with the hard, unmovable expression, it might just be worth it.

Beast Boy and Starfire were happily unburdened by the respective concerns of the two ruminating boys. Starfire was still focused on the child in her lap, who had recovered enough from his most recent bout of tears for her to coax him into conversation, while Beast Boy was staring, dumbfounded, at the spot Raven had previously occupied. He was...ALIVE! Even better, he was still in one fully-assembled piece! A giant grin made its way across his face.

"Awesome!" He pounded a jubilant fist into the air.

The rest of the room's occupants looked towards him, heads cocked in confusion.

"Duuudes!" Beast Boy shouted at them incredulously, "I'm still _alive_!"

He danced around the room, singing an irritating reprise of his favorite made-up victory song.

"Go Beast Boy, you're alive now, go Beast Boy, you survived now, oh yeah, yeah," the teens around him groaned, not enjoying the lyrics or his grating voice, while Ryan giggled, "go Beast Boy, go Beast Boy, go, go, go Beast Bo-"

"Stop it!" The little girl demanded, stomping her feet on the ground, "you're not supposed to _do t_ hat!"

The changeling stopped mid-swing, dropping his arms to his sides, "um...ok?"

"Marie," the boy escaped Starfire's clutches, hurrying over to his friend, "don't get upset!"

Ryan tried to hug Marie, whose eyes were starting to go red again, but she pushed him off of her, and he was thrown onto his back from the force.

"That was not very nice," Starfire warned, her own eyes glowing green. One thing it is important to note about a race of warriors - they are _very_ protective of their young. Whether or not the threat comes from another, equally as juvenile person.

"Whoa, Star, take it easy," Cyborg raised his hands, stepping closer to the group, "let's all breathe for a second."

His words must have gotten through to them, because both girls' eyes returned to their normal shades. That being said, the younger of the two was still not at all pacified.

"Why are you still _here_?" She ran up to Beast Boy and shoved his arm, vainly trying to push the larger boy towards the doors, "go get her!"

"Who? Raven?" Beast Boy jumped away from the girl, pressing his back against the damaged window, "oo way!"

"But you HAVE to!" She screamed, pulling at the leg of his jumpsuit with every ounce of her minimal strength.

"No I DON'T!" Beast Boy morphed into a hummingbird, and flitted away so quickly that she lost her balance and toppled over. This was, apparently, the last straw, and the artfully darting bird was surrounded in a black orb, which dragged him from his flight and slammed him into the common room doors.

"Could you at least have opened them first?" Beast Boy slid down to the ground, trying to remain conscious. He was lucky his head was so thick.

Now that her son was out of harm's way, and Marie had focused on a new target, Starfire was able to think more rationally.

"Marie," she knelt next to the girl, attempting to diffuse the situation, "perhaps I could go retrieve friend Raven?"

"No," Marie shook her head, adamantly rejecting Starfire's proposition, "Daddy needs to go."

"But why must he be the one to go?" Starfire asked, trying to understand the child's reasoning.

"Because," the girl's voice grew abnormally soft for one so fierce, "if he doesn't go, she might not come back."

The older girl looked over her shoulder, sharing a concerned expression with Robin and Cyborg. Starfire had not been raised on Earth, but even she was sure that this was not normal behavior for a human child. She turned back towards Marie and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Fear not," Starfire smiled confidently at the child, who lifted her head to look at her, "I shall not fail to bring your mother back with me."

Marie squinted, measuring up the young woman in front of her. It seemed that whatever Starfire had said had swayed the girl, so she finally nodded and said, "ok."

"Wondrous!" Starfire beamed, and the little girl couldn't help but smile back.

It was one of the things Robin loved most about his girlfriend. Her infectious joy and golden laughter. He hadn't really planned out his whole future. As well trained as they were, no titan could be sure that they'd return from battle. It was a fact they seldom talked about, though the possibility was very, very real. Faced with that level of unpredictability, Robin countered with rigid schedules and careful planning for those things he could control. He took comfort in handling the monotonous tasks that others so despised. The budget and insurance and the grocery lists, the attack patters and legal paperwork and chores - Robin loved it all. It busied his mind enough to keep anxiety away. The only other thing that had the same effect on him was Starfire. Just being near her made him feel a hundred times lighter No, Robin had not made any definite life plans. He took each day as it came. But the one thing Robin had allowed himself to count on was that, whatever happened, he and Starfire were going to be together. His gaze found its way back to the green boy with his Tamaranean eyes. What could possibly have happened to them to cause... _that_? The thought of Starfire not being with him, even for a day, was upsetting. The idea of her leaving him for Beast Boy was much worse. Even if, as evidenced from the way the boy called him his father, she had eventually returned to him. He glanced at the changeling by the door, still cradling his bruised head and whining about how sensitive his self-proclaimed 'beautiful face' was. Well, at least Robin had no competition for the time being. The leader snapped out of his thoughts and refocused on the situation at hand.

"Star," he called the princess, "bring Raven back here as fast as you can. I know she's pretty shaken up, but I want to brief everyone about what Cyborg and I found."

He turned to the chromium teen, "you take the kids to the med bay. See if the girl's actually who she says she is, and give then both a full medical work up. I want to know anything you can find out."

Cyborg nodded, then pointed a thumb behind his back at Beast Boy, "might give the grass stain one too."

"Do you guys see birds circling around you, or is it just me?" The green bean wondered aloud.

"That might not be a bad idea."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 7

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

It wasn't that Raven couldn't handle the fact that the little girl in the living room looked far too much like her for it to be a mere coincidence.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

The fact that the kid was obviously Robin's didn't phase Raven in the least.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

She barely registered it when the girl claimed Beast Boy as her father.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

All these were things that she, with time, could bring herself to come to terms with.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

None were the girl's choice, so it would be unfair for her to take her anger out on the child. After all, it wasn't any of the other parties involved that Raven took issue with.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

It was herself.

"Raven?" Starfire knocked, "please, might I come in?"

The empath lowered herself to the ground and took a deep breath.

"Please," Starfire asked again, "are you ok?"

She was about to knock again when the metal door slid open, revealing an outwardly stoic Raven, who glanced down the hall to ensure her friend was not followed, then grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room.

"Friend Raven-"

"What could I _possibly_ have been thinking?!" Raven slammed her door shut behind Starfire, then angrily paced around the room as blackened pages and talismans whirled about.

"Friend Raven, you must not judge yourself so harshly!" Starfire raised an index finger, "though he may not appear so at the present moment, I am most certain that Beast Boy will grow to become a most wonderful partner in the rearing of your child!"

Raven stared at her incredulously.

"Who cares about Beast Boy? This isn't about _him,_ " she stopped moving and glared at Starfire, projecting her disgust with herself onto her friend.

"Then...what is it that troubles you?"

Starfire was so very lost. She had been expecting a very different scene when she left for Raven's room, but now she was not quite sure what it was she had walked into.

"How could I have been foolish enough to have a kid?"

"Perhaps your child was intentional and not the result of an accident?"

Raven growled, "of course she was intentional. I could easily have dealt with a mistake."

Starfire was not sure that she liked the implication or Raven's response, but resolved that now was not the best time to talk about it.

"...Oh..."

"Why would I have purposefully had a biological child? What could have been going through my mind to make me think that perpetuating Trigon's line was a good idea?!"

"Please," Starfire asked, "it is...bad to have one's own child on Earth?"

That would certainly explain the difference in skin tone between her own son and her coparent.

"No," Raven snapped, "it's bad for _me._ "

"But why-"

"I have my powers because I'm half demon. Because my father, Trigon, is a demon. He is a part of me, whether I like it or not. Even though we've defeated him, it doesn't mean he can't come back. I'll always be fighting his influence. Which means," Raven gestured in the direction of the main ops room, "that kid in there is also equally as susceptible. If she doesn't work hard enough to control her emotions and fight him, he'll turn her into a monster."

Raven dropped onto the floor, hanging her head.

"How could I do that to a kid? How could I risk it? How..." Raven's voice quivered, "how could I be so selfish?"

Though Raven herself had stilled, the emotion-driven whirlwind around her raged on, and as the Tamaranean struggled to dodge the ancient artifacts and tomes careening towards her, one thing became abundantly clear: Starfire was wholly unprepared to deal with this.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

The boys, for their part, were managing only slightly better. Cyborg, easily the least affected and thus the most collected, took one mini-titan in each hand and made for the med bay. Robin forged ahead, unmindful of the children's slower pace. Or maybe he was mindful. Mindfully running away from the problem in Cyborg's grip. Beast Boy was doing exactly the opposite. Try as he might to catch up, the green string bean could barely walk straight, and kept walking into walls.

"Guys..." Beast Boy's words were thick on his tongue, "...wait...for...me..."

Cyborg paused with the kids, standing back to allow Robin to walk past and carry the obviously concussed teen the rest of the way. To his extreme annoyance, the boy wonder never did, and instead continued around the corner and out of sight.

"Spikey-haired pretentious little..." Cyborg dropped his charges' hands.

Beast Boy continued towards them, trying in vain to push himself off of the section of wall he had most recently collided with.

"Hold on BB," Cyborg walked up to the changeling and lifted him up over his head, "I got you."

He lifted the green teen onto his shoulders and around his neck, wearing him like a shawl.

"Man," Cyborg adjusted his friend's position, "when'd you get so heavy?"

"He's a lot smaller than he was yesterday," the smaller of the two green boys observed, as he grasped the metal hand Cyborg offered him.

"So's your dad," the little girl insisted defensively, "and his clothes are weird," she added for good measure.

"No they're not!" Ryan cried, balling his small fists.

"Yes they are," she countered coolly, "and Uncle Cyborg even said he was a spikey-haired brat."

Shoot. Cyborg didn't think the kids would hear that. He would need to be more careful.

"He's not a brat!" Ryan screamed at Cyborg, stomping his feet and using his free hand to hit Cyborg's leg.

Of course, the boy forgot one crucial detail about the robotic teen. His limbs were mostly metal.

"Owww!" He howled on the verge of tears.

"He is too." Marie antagonized.

"Is NOT!"

Ryan's eyes glowed brightly, and it was clear who his intended target was. Said target just folded her arms, smiling smugly, as if getting him to break was the whole point of whatever twisted game she was playing. Cyborg was unnerved to see one of Robin's signature expressions on what was essentially Raven's face. He started wondering who exactly it was that gave the child her apparent emotional sadism, but wasn't sure if it was just a normal kid thing, a result of her demonic heritage, or a side effect of being raised by someone who loved pranking people in occasionally offensive ways.

"Dude," the aforementioned prankster interrupted, "you guys are hurting my ears! Robin is _so_ whatever Cyborg said, so can we just stop now?"

Marie rolled her eyes as laser beams hit her father in the head. And the arms. And the legs. Cyborg shook his head. Beast Boy really could _not_ read a room.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Starfire had often experienced the same difficulty as Beast Boy. However, to her credit, Starfire at least tried. For instance, at this moment, Starfire's natural inclination would be to blast the many objects flying towards her, then rush over to Raven and envelop her in a comforting, almost lung-crushing hug. However, judging by the fact that the projectiles were treasured possessions of the friend who had consistently insisted that she did not want to be touched, Starfire made the educated decision to do neither. Instead, she ducked her head, cautiously making her way to the center of the room to sit beside her friend. She was not sure what could be said that would lessen the empath's anguish, but she would try to in the best way she knew how. By using Raven's own preferred form of reasoning. Sound logic.

"Raven," Starfire leaned towards her, careful not to get too close, "you may recall that I once traveled into our future."

There was an almost imperceptible shift of Raven's head towards Starfire.

"What I encountered was not what I expected. It was a fate I did not wish upon any of my dear friends. I did not want to believe it. But the villain Warp assured me that fate is inevitable, and I could not change it."

The chaos around the two young women lessened, as Raven began to focus on Starfire's words.

"Are you..trying to cheer me up? No offense Star, but this story isn't exactly uplifting."

"Perhaps I might finish?" Starfire suggested.

Raven shrugged.

"At first, I had no reason not to believe him. I could not deny that he was far more familiar with the subject of the time travel."

The wind started picking up, and Starfire could see that she was losing her audience.

"Yet I fought back, and did that which the Warp had said I could not do. I returned to my time."

Raven said nothing, gritting her teeth against both the in and external storms.

"Raven, do you not see? He was wrong! It was my departure that invited the rekmas. The future I had seen would only have been possible had I not made it back! Even now, should I be lost to you again, the bonds of our friends are much stronger than they were then! Surely you would all be able to continue on together! There is no path down which we might venture that could lead to the same outcome!"

The empath appeared to be ignoring her.

"My friend," Starfire said as gently as she could over the sounds of the clattering activity around her, "if you do not wish to have a child, there is no reason that you still need to. You need only to decide."

Everything dropped to the ground, and the only sound pervading the sudden silence of the dark room was Raven's deep and labored breathing. Starfire smiled, and thought that now might be an acceptable time to place a comforting hand on her friend's trembling shoulder. However, as soon as she made to do so, Raven's face shot up, her eyes an uncontrolled crimson.

"Fool! Don't you think I know that?" A demonic voice surged forth from the pale lips, "the fact that the girl is still here means that this is _still_ the future that awaits us!"

Inky tendrils spilled forth from beneath Raven's cape, circling Starfire's tense form and constricting around her, so tightly that even the girl's Tamaranean strength could not allow her to break free.

"Raven," Starfire wheezed, "please, I am your friend! We will get through this...together..."

The young woman was losing oxygen, and she fought to stay conscious as Raven's powers reigned free.

"R...Ra...ven..." Starfire's head slumped forward, her limp form suspended only by the black bindings.

Somewhere within the terrifying form that was once Raven, some sliver of the original girl's consciousness was swayed, and slowly, with much struggle, the snarling demon curled into itself, shrinking in size until only the weary empath remained, close to collapsing, on the floor. With difficulty, she extended her hand towards Starfire, and with a wave, released the red-haired girl, who dropped to the ground beside her. Raven herself was close to passing out, but she forced herself to stay awake, scrawling towards her friend. With the last of her strength, she reached out, surrounding Starfire with the cooling blue mist of her healing powers. Only when her friend started gasping, and trying to sit up, did Raven allow herself to fall.

Starfire gulped down air until she was sure her lungs could bear no more, then swiveled her head around, searching for her friend.

"Raven!" Starfire rushed to her side, pulling the violet-haired head onto her lap, "are you the alright?"

She held a finger underneath the empath's nose to confirm that she was, in fact, still breathing. Convinced that she was, the taller girl gave a relieved sigh, then looked around the room, surveying the damage.

"Oh, Raven. Your poor room..." Starfire shook her head sadly.

"Tell me about it."

"Eep!" Starfire was caught off-guard, "friend Raven! You are undamaged!"

"Yeah," Raven groaned, holding a hand to her head and sitting up with Starfire's hand supporting her back, "which was more than I could say for you. You're lucky I was able to get to you in time."

CREEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKK

The girls heads snapped to the far end of the room, just in time to watch the custom mahogany cowl above Raven's bed snap off the bed frame and crash down on her ripped mattress with a boom.

"This," Raven deadpanned, "is exactly why I should never have children."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 8

"Hold still!" A green lion cub pounced out of Cyborg's reach, landing on Beast Boy's cot.

"Uhmnuhwa..." the teen mumbled incoherently. The present one of the two resident doctors had told Beast Boy to take it easy, but not fall asleep. He definitely had a concussion and...something about something bad if he caught some shut-eye. It had been hard for Beast Boy to focus. Well, harder than usual. On the bright side, at least Cyborg's attempts at taking blood samples from the kids meant a lot of noise, which made it a little easier to stay awake. Unfortunately, Beast Boy was pretty great at falling asleep regardless of the circumstances, so it still wasn't a guarantee.

"Get back down here!" Cyborg yelled at the other mini-titan, who was showing off her levitation abilities. Judging by how she kept grazing the walls, Cyborg felt it was clear that she needed a little more practice. She also needed to work on controlling her dark energy. The way the medical equipment was flashing black was kind of concerning.

"Hey Robin! A little help here?" For someone who claimed to be their all-powerful, holier-than-thou leader, he sure wasn't acting like it.

"Where _are_ they?!" Robin demanded, completely sidestepping Cyborg's blatant request for aid, "we need to brief them!"

Beast Boy had incapacitated himself. Raven was having an emotional breakdown, possibly taking down Starfire in the process. Robin was being completely unhelpful. Why was it always Cyborg? These weren't even _his_ kids! Cyborg silently vowed that if he ever got married his wife was _not_ going to have superpowers. No way was he going to have to chase after little terrors that could shoot laser beams at him and throw him around like a rag doll. No sir. When it came to his own kids, HE was going to be the one in charge. He was also going to take responsibility for them. Unlike his teammates. Granted, the kids' existence was not the fault of their current selves, but that didn't mean they couldn't help out. This was unfair. And Cyborg had reached his limit.

"Fine! Forget it!" he cried, throwing his hands up in the air, "you win! No needles - it's not worth it."

The blood tests were going to serve more as an interesting medical investigative tool for the metal teen more than anything else. They weren't essential. As far as he could tell, from what readings he got before the kids got hold of the stethoscope and ripped off the electrodes monitoring their heart rates, they were pretty healthy. Even if he didn't do their blood work, he was pretty sure they'd be fine. It was his own health he was worried about. Not to mention Beast Boy's. Cyborg walked over to the green teen and checked his vitals. Concussions took a while to heal. If Raven could just get herself together and get her butt down here to heal him, he'd be good to go.

SWISH

Cyborg sighed in relief when the med bay doors slid open, revealing an exhausted, but very much present pair of titans.

"Man, am I glad to see you," he grinned, "now tell the little nightmares y'all's future selves created to calm down. Uncle Cy needs a break."

Cyborg plopped onto the bed next to Beast Boy's, closing his eyes.

"And Raven," he pointed in the changeling's general direction, "BB needs some serious healing. Kids did a number on him. Especially little laser eyes over there."

Raven made her way over to Beast Boy while Starfire coaxed the children down from the air and the ceiling, respectively. The empath tried to heal Beast Boy as best she could, but was still feeling a little off-balance, so she only did enough to remove the most serious of the star beam burns and resolve the concussion, but did nothing about the splitting headache that would remain.

"Ughh," Beast Boy held a hand to his head, "why can't you just fix everything?"

"Why can't you act like a mature adult instead of angering children that are clearly more powerful than you?"

Normally Beast Boy would have had a comeback, or at least a defeated pout, but his head was throbbing and he couldn't think straight, so he just batted his hand at her. The empath rolled her eyes and walked away.

Now that their mothers were back, both children had calmed down considerably, and Ryan had eagerly rushed into Starfire's embrace. Raven was kind of shocked to see that the little girl had joined in the group hug, snuggling up to Starfire as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Raven hoped that kind of physical contact would not be expected of her as well. She was going to try and deal with this as best she could, but constant motherly affection was just not happening. Hopefully Starfire wouldn't mind subbing in on that front.

"Alright titans," Robin addressed the now fully assembled group, "Cyborg and I have some information we need to share."

Obviously, Robin preferred conducting these kinds of briefings in the main ops room, where he could easily project the evidence on a big screen and had access to their various surveillance technology that tracked the goings-on inside the city. However, contrary to Cyborg's beliefs, Robin was indeed paying attention to the madness the older boy had endured while trying to keep their charges under control, and Robin did not want to disturb the present, relative peace by changing location.

Cyborg made his way to the front of the group next to Robin, while Starfire sat on the floor with Ryan on her lap. Raven felt a tugging at her cloak, and saw two big, blue eyes urging her to join them on the ground. Raven sighed, but obliged, lowering herself onto the ground in lotus position. As soon as she was seated, the little girl scrambled into her lap, and luckily, unlike the boy who held Starfire's arms in place, wrapped around him, with a death grip, Raven's daughter merely grabbed her cloak and wrapped it around her like a blanket, holding one edge against her cheek. Raven relaxed. Maybe, in the possible future that the girl was from, Beast Boy was the one who provided the hugs and cuddles, so Raven wouldn't have to. She stole a glance at the green teen, who was rubbing his head and whining to himself, shooting obvious glares at his two small attackers. Far, _far_ in the future.

"We took a look at the footage and the other readings from the main ops room last night, and it looks like a big portal opened up and spit the kids out. It looked a bit like that portal Star flew into that time we went up against Warp, so I compared the heat and energy signatures from his portal to ours, and got a pretty similar reading.

"So Warp's our guy?" Beast Boy summarized.

"Not sure," Cyborg shrugged, "all we know is that a similar device must have been used. There may only be a limited number of ways, to travel through time. Even if there were different types of technology for it, the basic physics principles should be the same.

"Um...so he's not the guy?"

"He could be," Cyborg shrugged, "but we can't tell. It could be anyone with their hands on that type of tech. And we don't know how common it could be one it's developed. The world could be a completely different place."

"This is making my brain hurt more," Beast Boy frowned, trying not to strain himself.

Raven smacked his shoulder, "you're fine."

"Anyway," Cyborg continued, "I'm not too familiar with how time travel works, just got some basic theory in here," the teen knocked on the metal plates of his head, "so I'll need to do a bunch of research to even understand the topic before I get to engineering our own time travel machine."

"This means that the bumgorfs will be...permanent guests in our home?" Starfire inquired.

"Yeah," Cyborg grumbled inwardly, "they might be here for a while."

"There's one more thing," Robin directed the conversation back to the matter at hand, "I watched the footage, and if you look very closely," Robin wished, again, that he had his giant screen in the ops room to show everyone what he was talking about, "it looks like someone pushed them through. We're not sure if it was our future selves or someone else, and that's the next thing we need to find out."

Raven, for the first time, took notice of the little girl's light pink pajama set, brown puppies scattered across the fabric, and the boy's yellow onesie, covered in pictures of mustard bottles. Raven was impressed that future Starfire had managed to find so specific an article of clothing. The rest of the titans followed suit, taking in the cotton pjs and Marie's bare feet.

"Someone took them from their beds and threw them into a portal to the past?" Raven raised an eyebrow, "that doesn't sound like something parents would do. Especially us."

"Agreed. I am sure that future Starfire would at least provide some sort of note. Perhaps..." The Tamaranean lifted Ryan up and turned him around, searching his outfit for any hidden messages of scraps of notepad paper. Finding none, she set him back down, dejected.

"I was thinking that as well. It could definitely happen in a crisis situation, but I wouldn't expect two happy, healthy kids with no obvious trauma to have come out of an apocalypse," Robin conjectured, "I'm going to try and clean up the image from the security cameras and see if I can get a better idea of whose hand it might be. Or at least, if it's one of ours. In the meantime," he nodded towards Marie and Ryan, "these kids are our responsibility. We'll need to decide who-

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Why did the alarm always sound at the worst possible times? Beast Boy's fragile ears were ringing more than usual with his recent injuries, and he clamped his hands over his ears.

"Make it stop!"

The titans ignored him, the girls springing up and depositing the children on the floor.

"Titans," Robin stated with authority, "who's staying back?"

Beast Boy's pupils shrank, eyes opening wide.

"NOT ME!" He shrieked, "don't leave me with them!"

The kids giggled, mistaking his cry for a joke instead of real, gripping fear.

"I vote one of the girls," Cyborg said, "they need someone who can fly to watch their crazy butts. And BB's right-he can't take them."

"They literally tried to kill me!"

Ryan and Marie laughed louder.

"I shall stay," Starfire volunteered, "I believe Raven is in need of a break to do the processing, without the ancient books and the crushed beds and the suffocating of friends."

"Uh..." Cyborg raised an eyebrow.

"Dude," Beast Boy gasped, "what were you guys _doing_?"

"Let's just go," Raven started out the door.

"Wait," Beast Boy followed her out, "what kind of books were you guys using? Did the choking happen on the bed? Is that why it bro-" A black band of magic slapped onto Beast Boy's mouth, and Starfire and the kids watched them go, confused.

"Your dad is weird," Ryan stated.

"I know."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 9

Did it really _have_ to be the Hive Five? Beast Boy's oxen form was thrown into the brick wall by a laughing Mammoth.

"That the best you can do?" He grinned, welcoming the challenge.

With a grunt, Beast Boy pushed himself off the wall and transformed into a giant T-Rex, roaring at the hairy villain. Beast Boy lashed at him with his muscled tail, but Mammoth was too quick, and grabbed it before the impact. Then he tugged, _hard_ , and Beast Boy morphed back into his human self.

"Dude!" He cried, "that hurt!"

He didn't have much time to complain, before a shower of small metal balls rained down on him, each one exploding as they hit the ground around him. Great. Now his tailbone was killing him _and_ he couldn't see.

"Azarath metrion zinthos!"

A wave of black energy blew the rest of the smoking bombs away, and hit the tiny boy who was launching them from high atop his mechanical spider legs. Though the hit was successful, the cursing boy only lost his balance for a moment before the metal appendages righted themselves.

"Crud munching cake sniffers..." He grumbled to himself as he hit a hazardous looking red button.

"Uh oh..." Beast Boy pounced out of the way a panther, while Raven put up a shield against the heat-tracking missiles the boy fired.

"I got you Rae," Cyborg shot a few quick blasts to distract Jinx, who had been causing various streetlamps to fall around him, then fired his own rockets out of his retractable shoulder panels. The silver and blue counter-missiles were faster than Gizmo's, easily catching up. The aftershock of the collision threw everyone back, and, lucky for Robin, disoriented the Billy Numerous'. Numeri? Robin didn't have time to ponder it. The red-suited teens weren't going to be out of commission for long. The boy wonder took advantage of the remaining dust clouds, and, concealed within their depths, shot out a grappling hook from his utility belt, which roped around the many boys, pulling them together.

"Dang, Billy!"

"We're in a pickle, Billy!"

"How we gettin' out a this one, Billy?"

The sound of the Billys' voices was overshadowed by the ground-shattering rumble of Mammoth's landing as he pounded down into the sidewalk, concrete fracturing around him.

"Hi birdy boy," he taunted Robin, "you ready to get crushed?"

Robin lunged, birdarangs at the ready, when debris from the road knocked him onto his side.

"Oo, bad luck," Jinx grinned.

The pink sorceress did not have much time to revel, before a great shadow in the form of an African elephant overtook her.

"What the-" She cartwheeled out of the way before the giant charging mammal could squash her. The green beast trumpeted in displeasure as she dodged away, rearing back on his hind legs, not noticing the bomb Gizmo was currently attaching to his abdomen. The foul-mouthed boy cackled, making to run out of the way, but found himself trapped when the large feet dropped back down to the ground.

"Oh crud muffin..."

The bomb went off, forcing Beast Boy back into his normal form as he landed on the ground. He shook his head, shaking off the impact.

"Snot brain!"

"Huh?" Beast Boy looked around, "get off me!"

Just then, the hero's attention was diverted to the green beams singeing the ground beside him.

"Dude!" He cried, "watch it!"

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" The cyclops known as See-More grinned, continuing his assault, originally intended for Cyborg. The bionic teen blasted his opponent left and right, but couldn't get in close enough for the knockout.

Raven was gaining equally as little traction with Jinx. She had taken to the sky to try and avoid the pink magic coming from the other girl's pale fingers, but her opponent had used her own unlucky powers to cause the things around her to collapse, giving her plenty of high-rising piles of crushed brick and broken metal to allow her to almost match Raven's height. Raven tried to use the pink-haired teen's materials against her, but she was too skilled an acrobat, and avoided it all.

Robin and Mammoth were fighting hand to hand, and Robin, also quite the acrobat himself, was doing his best to avoid the clumsy punches. Mammoth was getting angry, and made the poor decision of attempting to hit Robin with all of his bodily strength, leaning into the one-armed attack. Robin stepped out of the way, and as Mammoth stumbled, Robin released three exploding disks into his face, causing the dazed Hive student to pass out.

Realizing that no one was paying attention, Billy combined his many forms into his single, original self, so quickly that the mechanical rope around him did not have time to close tighter.

"Woohoo! We're free Billy's!" He slapped his knee, "ain't nothin' stoppin us from invitin' a few more guests to this here party!"

But before he had even split in two, a green tentacle wrapped around him, holding him in place, along with a mildly suffocating Gizmo, who started screaming in fright at the sight of Beast Boy's octopodian beak. The green teen snapped at the boy menacingly, and snickered when he started to cry.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

For once in the short time they had known them, there were no tears running down the faces of the two smallest titans, or fights, or anything at all resembling the mess the rest of the team was dealing with.

Starfire had been at a loss as to what she should do with the children. Though dressed in pajamas, surely it was far too early in the day for them to sleep. The other titans, and Ryan himself, had strongly suggested she not give them baths. What more did children do? Silkie was her only frame of reference, and the only other activity in which he enjoyed partaking was...

"Oh!" Starfire had clapped her hands, "tell me, friends, have either of you ever sampled my home-made glorg?"

Apparently both children had eaten it many times. Ryan claimed it was something he consumed with relish on a weekly basis, and Marie said that the way the dish moved of its own accord greatly entertained her.

So here they were, covered in indistinguishable goo, Ryan trying to hold onto a slime-covered Silkie as the worm tried to escape. Marie was inspecting the mixture in the pot that Starfire was placing in the oven.

"So...it's _not_ alive?" The girl confirmed, "even though it wiggles?"

"Fear not," Starfire smiled, "though the dish indeed moves and does sometimes attempt to escape off of the plates, it is not alive, by the Earthly definition."

Marie looked skeptical, but let the matter drop.

"So when will it be ready?"

"Yeah!" Ryan agreed from his struggle on the floor, "when can we eat? I'm hungry!"

"Me too!" Marie affirmed.

"I didn't have _anything_ today," the boy's stomach rumbled.

"Me either," the little girl looked up at Starfire and squinted her eyes, "why didn't you give us breakfast?"

"Um...you see..."

Starfire was caught off-guard. Clearly the children were not aware that the world they woke up in was any different from the one they went to sleep in. It was up to her to ensure that it remained that way.

"We...awoke late, this morning! And were...um...concerned that you were...ill!" Yes, that would easily explain their multiple visits to the med bay. Starfire grinned.

"Are you _sure_?" The little girl pressed her.

Starfire nodded enthusiastically.

"Quite sure!"

"How looooong?" Ryan brought the conversation back.

"Perhaps...thirty of the minutes?" Starfire estimated - she never really set a timer when she was cooking. She could discern whether or not her gelatinous creations were done based upon their sheen when she viewed them through the glass. But to appease the children, she set the oven timer to half an hour.

"Can we have a snack before?" Marie started foraging through the broken cabinets.

"Yeah! Snacks!" Ryan rushed over to his friend, and the two dug through the rubble in search of something edible.

"Bumgorfs! Cease! I do not believe that interacting with the cupboards would be a wise idea!"

The kids ignored her.

"Please," she flew over, hovering above the tykes, "you might get hur-"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"OWWW!" Cyborg's head smacked into the cement, "take it easy!"

"I never take the easy way out. What would be the fun in that?" Jinx smiled, inching towards him, hands alight with magenta sparks, ready to zap him again.

Raven and Robin were still dealing with See-More, whose eye gear seemed to have had a few upgrades since last they fought. In addition to his usual x-ray and laser vision, somehow he'd also managed to get his helmet to transfer optical data from around the rest of his head, meaning there was no way either of the titans could surprise him. Without the element of surprise, the fight was going on longer than either would have liked. Beast Boy was still holding down the three fallen Hive members, but even in the form of a large hippo, lying on top of its victims, his resolve was wearing thin. Had he been able to speak human words while in animal form, he would definitely have told the others to hurry up and complain about his sure underside, which was currently being pummelled by Mammoth and Billy, while Gizmo kept poking him with some sort of stick.

"Hyah!" Robin swung his bo-staff at See-More, only to have it deflected by a big, transparent ball shot out from the villain's eyepiece. Raven swooped in and showered the smirking teen with bullets of dark energy, but he generated another one of the transparent eyeballs around himself, using it as a shield, then, when Raven took a moment to breath, flung the ball at her, knocking her out of the air. Robin was back in an instant, flinging the remaining gadgets as quickly as he could find them. Unfortunately, rather than hitting their intended target, Cyborg was their unlucky recipient, flung into the air when Jinx zapped a parked car and caused it to go airborne. Unaware of what he was doing or where he was aiming, Cyborg shot his cannon blindly into the air, a reflex action as he floundered in free fall, and managed to unintentionally hit See-More. This provided a slight preoccupation for the cyclops, and Raven took full advantage.

"Azarath metrion zinthos!" she chanted, flinging her arms out in front of her and using her dark energy to surround his cap, cracking it apart. Without having to worry about any further surprises, Raven surrounded the rest of his body in her powers' grip and let him down next to the green hippo. Cyborg had taken a second to check himself for damage before jumping back in, and Robin had been focused on Raven, there to provide backup in case See-More was not as incapacitated as they thought. When the boys turned back to face Jinx, it had only been the briefest of moments. Unfortunately for them, she was already gone.

"Ugh," Robin threw his hands up in disgust, "we lost her!"

The rest of the team only half-listened to their leader's ranting, focusing on brushing themselves off and cuffing the four that they _had_ apprehended.

"We needed Star out here today! But those kids," he growled, "they're ruining everything!"

"Well, dude," Beast Boy clapped Robin on the shoulder, "it's kind of future you's fault they even exist. Give yourself a break!"

"I'm going to break something else if you don't get your hand off me," Robin threatened.

"He...he..." Beast Boy removed the offending hand.

"And just fyi," Robin glared at him pointedly, "it's future you's fault too."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's stop with the blame game. We got to get back to the tower. Who knows what kind of trouble Star's in?"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Well, it could have been worse. Star was alive, and Ryan had finally stopped his assault on the kitchen. Marie had almost immediately cut herself on the splintered wood, and cried out in pain. Ryan reacted instantly, firing starbolts at everything in the immediate vicinity until no more than ash and melted metal remained. On the one hand, cleaning up ash would be easier than having to remove the earlier mess of sharp physical objects. On the other hand, there were many additional casualties of war. The microwave, for one, which had been miraculously unscathed by the morning's activities, was not completely unrecognizable. The bar stools were now half melted, as opposed to just needing to be reupholstered before. There was only one thing that seemed to have survived the massacre a la Ryan.

DING!

The oven door, hanging on by half a hinge, fell open, revealing a perfectly cooked glorg, mucasy goop sliding off like snot on a sick child's face.

"Mmm," the kids licked their lips.

Starfire slipped on what remained of her charred oven mitts and pulled out the steaming dish.

"Friends," Starfire laid the plate down on the last square foot of countertop, "shall we eat?"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 10

The boys had continued their bickering for the duration of the drive back to the tower, and Raven had _had_ it. Without bothering to warn them, she phased out of the roof of the T-car and flew the rest of the way home. No, she wasn't exactly thrilled to see the growing T in front of her, but the situation inside couldn't be much worse than the tension in the car. Scratch that. It would definitely be worse. Starfire meant well, but Raven had a sneaking suspicion that the Tamaranean probably had a more...intense...style of babysitting. The empath wasn't sure what specifically it would look like, but she was willing to bet that she was about to walk into a situation that was completely out of Starfire's control. As usual, Raven was right. She had hardly had time to register the amount of additional destruction to the common room when her ears were viciously assaulted.

"Mommy!" A little voice cried as soon as Raven stepped into the room, "I got a booboo!"

The fair skinned child ran over to the teen, lifting her injured appendage so Raven could see.

"Can you make it better?"

Raven wasn't sure exactly what she was looking at. It seemed like the girl's hand was covered in some sort of unidentifiable goo. Whether or not that was what caused the 'booboo' was unclear. Either way, attempting to heal something that didn't need it couldn't make anything worse, so Raven lifted her hands and emitted her healing glow.

"There," she pulled away, "all healed."

"No!" The small girl shook her head in frustration, "you need to kiss it better!"

Raven sighed, "of course I do."

The older girl looked at the proffered finger warily. There was a high probability that whatever slime was on there wasn't edible, and she didn't want to risk getting it anywhere near her mouth. The gooey texture of it almost reminded her of Starfire's... Raven's eyes grew wide.

"Did Starfire feed you?"

"Yup!" The girl smiled, "we had glorg!"

Raven shuddered, and looked back to where Starfire and the boy were happily scarfing down the final dregs.

"And you're not feeling sick?" She pressed the child.

"Nope! Just funny! Like it's moving inside my tummy!"

That couldn't be good...

"Mommy," the girl brought the conversation back to her healed finger, "make it better!"

The cloak Raven was wearing already had Ryan's boogers and tears on it, so it had to be washed anyway. Thus, Raven figured a little greenish goo wouldn't make it much worse, and wiped the digit clean with the corner of the fabric. Gingerly, she raised the girl's hand to her lips and gave it a quick peck.

"There. Happy now?"

The little girl frowned, withdrawing her hand and placing it on her stomach.

Oh no... Raven knew that look. She had seen it that time Teether had to-

BLEEEEUGCH

"Great."

Was her cloak even worth salvaging at this point? Glorg was notoriously hard to get out of fabric. Especially when it was covered with digestive juices. Raven unclasped her broach and let the stained garment fall off her shoulders, levitating it towards the garbage under the sink. Wait. Where _was_ the sink? Oh no no no no.

"...well maybe if you trusted us a little more, we'd surprise you!"

"Well maybe I _would_ if you gave me any reason to! But you never..." Robin trailed off, and his mildly annoyed expression became much, much angrier. His brows were knitting, his nostrils were flaring his lips were turning down in a snarl...he was about to blow.

"Ahh!" Beast Boy sprinted past him, running for the remnants of the fridge, "my tofu! Is it ok?"

He pawed through the debris as a dog, searching for treasure.

"Uh, Rob," Cyborg tried to put a calming hand on Robin's arm, but Raven didn't wait until he made contact. Instead, she grabbed the little food poisoning victim, flew over to Starfire and the boy, and transported them away as fast as she possibly could.

"STARFIREEEEEE!"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Robin's enraged roar could for miles outside of Jump City, but, safely surrounded by a solid black ball of energy, the two female titans and the children only heard a muffled shout, barely loud enough to startle them. When the world grew quiet once again, Raven lowered her shield and took stock of her motley crew. Both children seemed to be ok, one blissfully unaware of what had happened and the other still rubbing her stomach. Starfire was taking in her surroundings, looking perplexed.

"Please Raven - why are we in your room?"

"Because," the empath stated plainly, "it's the only place in the tower worse off than the kitchen."

Starfire's face grew red.

"Well...um...you see..."

"I don't want to know," Raven put her hands up, waving the redhead away, "what I _am_ curious about is why you felt it was a good idea to give a mostly human child GLORG."

Raven gestured to the girl in the puke-stained pajamas.

"Hehe..." Starfire grinned sheepishly, playing with her hands, "she...informed me that she had partaken of the glorg before and was quite fond of it?"

Starfire's statement came out sounding more like a question than a fact.

"Why would you tell her that?" Raven turned on the girl, who tried her best to look defiant despite the continuing pain in her midsection.

"Because it's true!" Ryan covered for his friend.

Raven raised an eyebrow at him.

"But she only has a bite before you make her stop."

Raven glared at Starfire.

"And I take it no one stopped her this time?"

"But friend Raven, Marie was very much enjoying it! She had an entire bowl before you arrived..."

Raven stopped listening. Though this confession was concerning, considering only half a bowl had been upchucked, the main takeaway for Raven was that the little girl had a name. Marie. Why had they picked that? It was fine, though Raven might have chosen something a little more literary or perhaps something Azarathian. It was just...so plain. Considering the fact that all of Raven's friends walked around with titles that were essentially made up, it seemed odd to her that she would have picked such a common name. Raven examined the girl, sweat matting the very normal colored black hair to her pink, skin-toned brow, and dripping down next to her very blue, very non-purple eyes. When she wasn't using her powers, Marie looked, well, _normal_. Maybe that was all they wanted for her. A normal name for a normal girl with a normal life.

"...should we not?"

Raven was pulled from her thoughts.

"Sorry - what?"

"I asked if we might go out while Robin does the off of cooling, and perhaps get something else for the bumgorfs to wear? Marie's garments smell most...unwelcoming." The princess held her nose.

Starfire had a point. The little girl's pajamas needed to be thrown out with Raven's cloak. No way was anyone going to scrub either of them. That was another thing Robin was far too against - dry cleaning. Would it be so bad to spend a few hundred dollars per month to make sure their suits were cleaned and pressed? Apparently their leader felt it would.

The issue here was that though Marie could travel through the mall unnoticed, Ryan was bright green, and much smaller than Beast Boy, which meant there would be many questions for the titans. Raven didn't often care about what those outside her inner circle thought, but she was in the hero business, which meant that she, like all other titans, was well aware that their enemies enjoyed taking the things they loved and using those things against them. Things usually meaning living human beings. Friends, love interests, and, in this case, children. As of yet, no one aside from Starfire was emotionally attached, but it was their job to protect those in need, and innocent kids getting taken against their will undoubtedly fell into that category.

Now that she thought more about it, it was probably best that none of the titans be seen buying children's clothes and accessories. Which meant that Cyborg and his holorings would be their best option. Raven knew he probably wouldn't want to, but Cyborg was nothing if not dependable, and when things got tough, he always came through.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

The mechanical man in question was busy taking inventory of all the supplies he would need to return the living room to its former glory. It was going to take a while.

"Hey! At least our gaming system is still-" The controller in Beast boys hands crumbled into ash, "uh, never mind."

Robin had stormed off to the evidence room and slammed the door, probably going to organize his files or do more research on the destructive children - something that would calm his frayed nerves. This left Cyborg and Beast Boy to assess the damage and start the cleanup effort. Naturally, that really meant Cyborg. The older teen rummaged through the remnants of the kitchen, trying to determine if anything was salvageable. Robin had promised him that he could have some extra cash for some upgrades to the T-ship, as long as they stated in budget, and no way was he anything going to jeopardize that. Every undamaged screw or bolt meant another few cents in his pocket, and as Cyborg knew, every penny counted.

"Where do you think the girls are?" Beast Boy wondered aloud.

Before Cyborg could shrug, the two young women came through the door, children in tow.

"Raven! Dude!" Beast Boy cried, "why didn't you take us with you? Do you have any idea how loud it was?"

"Odd. We barely heard anything," Raven stated in monotone.

Beast Boy scowled, folding his arms with a huff.

"Friend Cyborg?" Starfire approached the teen, "might you be going out for the supplies soon?"

"Yeah," Cyborg turned slowly, then with a defeated slumping of his shoulders asked, "whaddaya need?"

"Might you be willing to get the clothes for the bumgorfs? Raven has suggested that you would be better suited to the task, as you possess the holorings that do the changing of your appearance."

"We don't want anyone knowing about the kids," Raven clarified.

Cyborg nodded, "that's probably a good idea. Anything else we need?"

"Well, a new entertainment system would be nice!" Beast Boy grinned hopefully, as the swinging screen behind him finally came loose, spraying glass onto the floor.

"No," Raven intervened before the boys could start talking specs, "that's not a necessity. Just whatever you were going out for and the clothes for the kids."

The boys sulked. Their sanity was equally if not more important than the repairs, and seriously - couldn't the kids just wear some old T-shirts or something? Beast Boy and Cyborg _needed_ their giant TV screen and high tech gaming consoles - it was as important to them as air. Did Raven not understand that?"

"But-"

"No buts," the empath stopped them, "just get back soon."

Cyborg muttered to himself bitterly as he scanned the kids with his robotic eye, committing their measurements to his memory bank.

"Be back soon," Cyborg waked towards the door, "but when I get back BB and I are going _straight_ to the electronics store."

"Aw yeah!" Beast Boy fist-bumped the air.

"Daddy," Marie spoke up, "can I go to pick out a new TV with you and Uncle Cyborg when he gets back?"

"Uh..." Beast Boy had kind of been looking forward to getting away from the mess at the tower, but before he could give a weak 'sure', Starfire came in for the save.

"You shall do no such thing!"

The little girl scrunched up her face at the Tamaranean.

"Why not?" Her eyes glowed red.

This did not go unnoticed by the empath. Raven would really have to do something about that.

"Because," Starfire stated the obvious, "you are in dire need of the bath! You are covered in the post-digestive glorg and have the odor of a milfnarb after varnax!

The other teens in the room didn't need to understand Tamaranean to agree with Starfire's assessment. Marie reeked. The little girl lifted her sleeve to her nose, sniffed, and gagged.

"I want a bath too!" Ryan chimed in, not wanting to be left out.

"Glorious! Let us then commence with the bathing!" Starfire's lizard-like tongue was about to dart from her mouth when Beast Boy and Raven, frantically waving their arms, screamed, "NO!"

"But friends," she protested, "I was merely going to-"

"I don't want to know," Raven shushed her, "but I think it would be best if you started cleaning up here."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, "I think maybe you've done enough babysitting for one day."

Starfire tried to mask her disappointment with a halfhearted smile.

"I would...be happy to begin the cleaning up," Starfire flew towards the kitchen, then pivoted back to her friends, "but please - have either of you done the bathing of the children before? In the earthling way?"

The two titans looked at each other. Raven was raised on Azarath by monks that she couldn't recall ever having smiled at her, let alone bathing her. She honestly had no idea what kids' baths even looked like in this dimension.

"I mean, I've done bath time before. With my parents. Before...you know," Beast Boy gestured to his grassy complexion, "this happened."

"Oh," the girls shifted uncomfortably. The titans' youngest member was not one to talk about his past.

Prior to becoming the lean green shifting machine he was today, Beast Boy had been a fairly standard human boy. Blue eyes, blonde hair, tan skin - the works. But then what happened happened and soon after his parents were just gone and...Beast Boy didn't like thinking about that. He skimmed over the details of his past whenever it came up in conversation, which luckily wasn't often, and when he was alone he desperately tried to push the memories back into the crevices of his mind, focusing instead on video games or magazines filled with mopeds. But as he looked at the two little faces staring up at him, their lives effectively ripped out from under them overnight, he couldn't help but see a little, newly green boy sobbing on the bank of an African river, wishing that someone would hold him and tell him it was all just a horrible nightmare. He shook himself, pushing the images back. These kids needed some good, clean fun, pun very much intended, and Beast Boy was going to take it upon himself to give them the best bath time experience ever, straight out of the Logan playbook. All he had to do was search his closet for those rubber dog toys he liked to chew on...

"Don't worry guys," he brushed of his teammates, winking at the kids, "I'm an expert in bath timing."

Starfire cupped her hand to Raven's ear.

"You will be helping, correct?" she whispered.

Raven nodded. Whatever Beast Boy had in mind, it was going to end badly. His plans rarely went, well, according to plan. Sometimes she almost felt bad for him. Almost.

"Well, let's get going then," the empath put a hand behind each child's back and ushered them towards whatever terrors laid ahead of them, "bath time awaits."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 11

With Cyborg out and Raven and Beast Boy busy with the kids, it was the perfect time for Starfire to speak privately with Robin. She was not sure how long the baths of Earth tended to take, but she erred on the side of caution and assumed it would not be long. Thus, Starfire made quick work of the common room, using her Tamaranean strength to lift the broken wood and metal out of the kitchen. Soon everything was sorted into piles of salvageable materials and discards, the latter of which she moved to the trash room, and the former of which she left in the garage. Since Cyborg had taken the T-car, using its holographic camouflage mode so as to be discrete, he would see everything when he got home and parked. Speaking of which, he would probably be arriving home with the new window panes. The broken ones were technically a part of the main ops room, which, Starfire unhappily realized, meant that she was not actually finished with her chores.

This was not the first time the princess had helped with window-removal. She and Raven were often tasked with, respectively, carefully cutting away the remaining glass and ensuring that none of the pieces fell, then transporting it to the junkyard. But that was for more serious cleanup jobs. Today, there were only cracks, threatening the stability of the material, but not creating an imminent break. Starfire could easily remove it in one piece and take it away without Raven's help. But that would take so much more time...Cyborg might return and the bathing might be over and she would have none of the anticipated alone time with Robin that she had hoped for. Starfire considered her options. It took serious concentration to ensure her laser vision was precise enough to only skim the bottom of the glass without completely destroying the steel frame that held it in place. What was the phrase Robin had used? He who is the the slow and the steady is the victor of the race? But Starfire had no need of window-related victory today. She snuck a quick peek behind her shoulder, and, satisfied that no one would know what she was about to do, blasted the glass with a war cry and a flurry of starbolts, confident that no one would ask questions about why the once-solid window was shattered across the rocks of the island. Surely everyone was far too distracted to realize that it had not simply broken of its own accord. Yes, Starfire smiled, her secret was safe. Giggling at her own deviousness, the redhead floated down the hall to her boyfriend's room.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Why are we here?" a different, far more irritated titan stood in front of another room in the tower.

"You'll see!" a muffled voice responded from the depths of Beast Boy's closet, which was overflowing with unchecked trash. Someone really needed to do something about that. Ideally the changeling.

"Eww," Ryan actively waved his hands in front of his face, trying to block out the air, "Marie - your room _stinks_."

Raven raised an eyebrow. How on Earth had Beast Boy convinced her to put their child in a room that needed multiple rounds of fumigation?

"You get my room?" Beast Boy popped his head out of the pile, "Then where do I sleep?" he asked, displeased at the thought of losing his personal Beast-cave.

"With Mommy," Marie rolled her eyes, "duh."

Beast Boy's eyes met Raven's, and both looked away, blushing. This was too weird.

"I can't believe I let you into my room," the empath attempted to maintain an air of normalcy, "though I can understand why someone would want to escape this pigsty."

Beast Boy grinned. He knew what she expected him to do, and he was sure of what she's say in response afterwards. If he had to, he could probably script out their entire conversation for the next thirty minutes and get it right, word for word. Sure, sometimes their back and forth grew old, and sometimes it went too far, so that their friends requested that they stop or, less politely, _knock it off_. There were times when they were too exhausted, or were so deeply scarred by the day's events that silly jokes and biting comments would only worsen their internal wounds. But usually? When things got tough, or scary, or hopeless - Raven and Beast Boy had a comfort mechanism. Something so familiar that it was impossible not to feel at least slightly more at ease. It was so easy for Beast Boy to get riled up, and getting swept up in surface level anger was often easier than thinking about the implications of the dire circumstances they worked in. For Raven, it was Beast Boy's ridiculous antics that got her to smile internally, balancing out her more negative emotions so she could remain calm. Obviously, the empath had never actually _said_ this - but Beast Boy could tell. It was the only legitimate reason he could think of for why she was always such a willing participant in their banter.

Raven's glare was wavering. Why wasn't he doing anything? It had only been a few seconds, but she wasn't used to hesitation. It was usually either all or nothing - instant reply, or none at all. It was the difference between knowing that they could get through something, or being equally as certain that they couldn't. Right now Raven _really_ needed it to be the former. Because if Beast Boy couldn't laugh through this, then she was sure that she, with her emotion driven powers, would be substantially worse off. Which meant the kids currently pinching their noses and trying not to gag, were going to be at risk for more than just passing out from semi-toxic fumes. All of which would be her fault.

No. Raven focused on making her expression hard once more. Beast Boy would come through. He was just zoning out.

She was about to say something else to prompt him, when the green teen finally snapped out of it, just a moment before the pause between responses would have been too obviously awkward.

"I don't know," Beast Boy morphed into a pig, burrowing through the piles of laundry, rolling around and oinking loudly, playing it up for the additional audience members, then turned back into a human at their feet and said, "the pigs seem to like it!"

Raven rolled her eyes, but before she could comment, Ryan cried, "Yeah we do!" and jumped into the depths of the garbage as a little piglet. Beast Boy grinned and dove back in, both green pigs oinking in harmony. Marie had tried to hold out as long as she could, chuckling, but for some reason the sight of Ryan joining her father made her break, and soon full-blown laughter pervaded the room, followed by a rapidly spreading blackness that enveloped the entire contents of Beast Boy's floor, Beast Boy and Ryan included. Raven's eyes shot open, and she grabbed Marie by the shoulders.

"You have to calm down! You're going to-"

BOOM

She was too late. With a final laugh, the squealing pigs and their filthy environment were the victims of an explosion that threw everything across the room. Beast Boy acted fast and turned into an eagle, grabbing Ryan in his talons and flying away from the blow. Raven stared in disbelief at the bedroom. She hadn't thought it was possible to make it any messier, yet Marie had more than succeeded. Old laundry and empty pizza boxes were only two of the numerous things now spread across the changeling's bunk beds.

"Wow," Raven voiced her thoughts, "I didn't think it was possible to make this place any worse."

"Well," Beast Boy grabbed Marie and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, proudly pointing his thumb at his chest, "I guess she takes after me."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Starfire took after her own people. She was a fierce warrior, unwavering in the face of battle, aggressive in her attacks; but in front of the harmless, immobile evidence room door, she was afraid to knock. Unlike Raven and Beast Boy, Starfire could not always guess what Robin was going to say, or what mood he might be in. He was far too heavily guarded. His words were that of a leader, or disciplinarian, or combatant. To get him to speak as a close friend or lover was always a challenge, and though Starfire cared for him dearly, she was often exhausted by her efforts. At present, she did not expect him to be in a welcoming mood, but she held out a small smidgen of hope that he might recognize that he was not the only one affected by the recent revelations.

Starfire took a deep breath and leaned her arm forward, sounding a few shorts taps on the door.

"Robin?" she asked, unsure, "Might I come in?"

There was a momentary silence during which Starfire thought the young man might be considering his answer.

But the short "Go away, Starfire. I'm busy.", he snapped at the princess through the wall was a clear deterrent. Nonetheless, she persisted.

"Perhaps you are in need of the break?"

"Too much to do."

"Then may I be of assistance?"

"No."

The Tamaranean hung her head, placing a longing hand on the cool metal.

"Robin...you are concerning me. Please - might we do the talking?"

"Not _now_ , Starfire!" he raised his voice at her.

Starfire sighed. Why did Earthling boys make things so difficult? On Tamaran no one would hide behind a barrier like a coward. They would face their beloved head on, with roars and passion and possibly an exchange of blows, if the argument grew heated. That was how problems were meant to be solved. With courage and boldness and the sharing of ones rawest emotions. Not with isolation and iciness. Luckily for her, Starfire was half of this relationship. Which mean that Robin had just tried his way of dealing with things, and now it was her turn. Her was was much more...aggressive.

"Very well," the princess said, resigned, as her hand clenched into an underratedly powerful fist, "then we shall do this the way of hard!"

Starfire drew her hand back, and punched the steel door, crumpling it like tinfoil, then threw it aside, eyes glowing fiercely. Robin couldn't help but admire her in that moment. She was so strong willed, so confident, so attractive when she was in her battle stance, he just wanted to - oh, wait. He was still mad. He shouldn't be engaging. Robin forced his eyes away from her and forced himself to glare at the decimated doorway.

"I can't believe you did that! Do you know how much-"

"Stop." Starfire covered her boyfriend's mouth with her palm, "We are doing the discussing of the cause of the bad attitude you are exhibiting."

Robin mumbled something contradictory behind her hand.

"Be assured that the alternative will be most unpleasant."

Robin gulped, then nodded.

"Wondrous!" Starfire clapped, releasing him, then sat beside him on the desk, "So, boyfriend Robin - what is it that has been going the on with you?"

The princess smiled sweetly. Robin gave a halfhearted grin back, cautiously avoiding a reoccurrence of her wrath. He loved Starfire, but boy, did she scare him.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Raven would admit to being scared of very few things. One was horror movies. For a while, she had tried to deny it, but a movie night with a _very_ disturbing plot and a horrific monster caused her powers to act up and attack the tower, so she couldn't very well keep up that facade. The second was being used to help her demonic father destroy the world. Arguably more serious than the first thing. Also unfortunately much more likely to happen than just being attacked by movie monsters. Though technically both _had_ happened. So...yeah. She had a right to fear those things. But a new fear, equally as tangible as the first two, was rearing its ugly head. This fear? Losing a child down the drain of a rapidly emptying tub. Not just any child. A child with a very strong, and soon to be very _angry_ mother from the warrior planet of Tamaran.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 12

Bath time had started out innocently enough. Marie's destructive giggling unearthed the plastic chew toys Beast Boy had been looking for, and he had gleefully collected them. He had no intention of washing them pre-bath-time until Raven threatened to incinerate them if they were not properly disinfected. The only thing worse than baby titans would be sick baby titans, puking and sneezing all over the rest of her capes. Raven was not going to sit by and watch while he infected them with whatever bacteria had grown on the rubber and plastic that had been in his mouth, on his floor, buried in his laundry, and who knew what else. So while Beast Boy poured Listerine over the toys, Raven set two of her towels on the closed toilet seat and started filling the tub.

"How's the temperature?"

Raven had expected someone to rush over and splash water in her face as they plunged their hands into the tub to see. Instead, she turned her head to witness the gargantuan struggle the children were currently engaged in.

"Ow!" Marie cried, head and arms swaddled in her pajama shirt, "Get it off!"

"I'm trying!" Ryan assured her, tugging at what he thought was fabric. Unfortunately, what he had actually pulled on was Marie's hair, which only caused her to scream louder.

"You're hurting me!"

"Sorry!"

Raven was about to get involved when Beast Boy wiped his mouthwash-covered hands on his uniform and intervened. Raven was glad. It was about time he started helping out.

"Whoa! Let's calm it down guys." Beast Boy crouched next to the duo.

"Marie's stuck!" Ryan pointed at the wriggling girl, who was clearly about to lose her balance.

"Eek!" Beast Boy reached out and caught her just in time, "Phew. Close one."

Ryan giggled, and Beast Boy smiled back before turning his attention to the girl in his arms.

"What're you doin' in there? Huh?" Beast Boy fumbled with the shirt until he found the part he thought might be the bottom, "Are you trying to be a caterpillar? Building a little cocoon?"

There was a muffled shout from inside the shirt.

"I'm not a caterpillar!"

"I don't know..." the green teen worked the top around the twisted arms, "you sure do look like one...oh, wait!" Beast Boy pulled the last of the cotton blend off of her head, "You're a butterfly!" He picked her up and carried her around the bathroom, pretending she was flying.

"Vroom! Vroom!" Beast Boy added his own sound effects as Marie laughed gaily.

"I didn't realize butterflies sounded so much like cars."

"Beeeeeep! Beeep-beep-beeep!" The changeling honked at the empath, who rolled her eyes.

"Me next!" Ryan demanded, tapping Beast Boy's leg.

"But it's my turn!" Marie cried, defensively.

"No! My turn!" Ryan's grip on the teen's leg intensified.

"Ow! Hey! Stop that!" Beast Boy lowered the girl down while focusing on Ryan.

"No Daddy! Up! Up!" Marie tugged on his uniform collar.

"No!"

The situation was escalating rapidly. Couldn't Beast Boy do anything right? Raven shook her head. At least he tried.

"Ok, that's ENOUGH."

Both children were silenced when black talons pulled them away from Beast Boy, removed the rest of their pjs, and deposited them in the tub, along with their minty smelling bath toys. Raven sighed contentedly at the silence as both children processed what had just happened. The series of events that had just transpired was harmless, but for young minds that could not process things as quickly, or as easily, it was a bit overwhelming. Raven may have been good at avoiding potentially disastrous situations, but she was hopeless when it came to understanding the fragile psyche of young children. Beast Boy, however, who himself had struggled to suppress this same reaction on numerous occasions when he was upset or tired or losing at a video game, knew what those quivering lips and wide eyes were leading up to.

"Hey!" he squeaked, getting the kids' attention and a raised eyebrow from the empath, "you know what I have that would make bath time a bajillion times better?"

The pre-kindergarteners looked at each other then shook their heads.

"I have..." Beast Boy turned around and rummaged in the cabinet under the sink, "the incredible..." come on, come on, "the amazing..." he heard a sniffle, "the one and only..." finally his fingers reached "Bubblylicious bubble bath!"

He proudly held the bottle out for the kids to see.

"Oo!" They touched the bottle with their wet fingers, "Bubbles! Make the bubbles!"

"Ok, ok!" Beast Boy laughed, happy to see the unshed tears drying up. He grabbed a fuzzy purple hand towel and put it over his left arm like a waiter, then unscrewed the top and politely held out the bubble bath like a bottle of wine.

"A bottle of our finest bubbly, mademoiselle," he bowed towards Raven, "would you care to sample it?"

Marie smiled at her parents' antics, but Ryan cried, "Bubbles! Now!" so Raven rolled her eyes, picked up the bottle with her powers, lightly smacked Beast Boy in the head with it, then dumped its contents into the tub.

"Ow..." muttered Beast Boy, "I'm still recovering from that concussion, you know."

Marie didn't like that tone. Her face grew somber. But before she could say anything, Raven replied, "Ugh. Come here," and when Beast Boy stubbornly disobeyed, she walked over to him, placed her hands on his head, and finished healing him. "There's not much brain tissue left in there, but I think you'll live."

"Gee, thanks."

Raven turned away and made herself comfortable sitting on the towels, while Marie allowed herself to get swept up in a game of 'who can pop the most bubbles' with Ryan.

"Uh, Rae?" Beast Boy looked at her in disbelief, "Are you seriously going to just sit there?"

"Why not?" Raven folded her arms.

"It's bath time." he emphasized.

"So...?"

"So the kids need to be bathed."

Raven stared at him.

"By us." Beast Boy gestured between them.

Had Raven never been given a bath before? Beast Boy made a mental note to do some serious digging into the empath's past. He was a very experienced fly on her wall, and surprisingly decent at hacking into the titans' personal files. He was confident he could find out. He smiled smugly to himself. Raven scowled.

"Please?" he shielded his mouth from the kids' view, "I'd feel weird giving a girl a bath...can you just do it?"

"Fine."

The empath unfolded her arms and joined Beast Boy in kneeling next to the tub. The tiles cut into her knees and the side of the bath basin was already covered in pools of water, which was quickly being soaked up by her uncovered leotard. She glanced at her companion.

"So what now?"

"Now," Beast Boy squirted some body wash into his hand, "the fun begins!"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

'Fun' did not accurately describe what was going on with Cyborg. He had spent way too much time at the hardware store debating the merits of each kind of metal sheeting, trying to determine just which one would hold up best against two child tornadoes and a voracious silkworm, before ultimately realizing that the powers of the former and jaw of the latter would be able to get through anything, and ended up going with the cheapest option so he could buy in bulk. Robin would be proud. Unfortunately, by the time he paid and loaded the car, he realized he would only have a couple hours left before the mall closed. That would have been fine if he had known where he was going, but it wasn't often that he shopped for clothes in general, let alone for little kids. So here he was, scratching his head in front of the big kiosk with a digital map of the mall on it, trying to figure out which stores under the "Apparel" category were most likely to get him what he needed as quickly as possible. He scanned the names until he found one called "Baby Bop" that was only a few shops away, and headed for his destination.

"Oh..." Cyborg realized he had misjudged as soon as he walked in. This was a store for babies. Real newborn-diaper-wearing-bottle-sucking babies. What were Marie and Ryan going to do with a bassinet or a changing table? Probably break them. He passed a cursory look around the rest of the store, mechanical eye zooming in to see if any of the tiny garments were big enough for the measurements he'd taken, but of course, none were. Cyborg headed back to the information dock.

Next on the list was "So Posh B'Gosh". It looked nice enough from the outside. There were little mannequins in the windows that were around the kids' sizes, so that was promising. When Cyborg got inside, however, he was met with what looked like the interior of a very expensive country club.

"Wow," he ran his fingers along the polished woodwork of the shelves, taking in the very lavishly dressed patrons with their designer bags and pressed button downs, "guess they're catering to some real high-rollers..."

Cyborg focused his attention back on the mission at hand. He'd assumed he'd find T-shirts and jeans or something - wasn't that what he used to wear back in the day? But instead he was met with rows upon rows of beige khakis and navy blue blazers, complete with brass buttons featuring beveled anchors. Ok, that was a no-go on the boys' clothes. But the girls' options had to be better. Cyborg checked out the opposite wall and was met with an equally disturbing number of identical white tennis dresses.

"Who designed these?" Cyborg asked aloud, "these ain't for kids - this is what wealthy older people wear."

Just then he noticed the very large, very elegant "Posh" label on the opposite store. Filled with the same clientele he had just been describing.

"Ohh," Cyborg realized, "children's department."

He was met with equally as disappointing pickings at "Just Ice", where the ice part was clearly referencing the many glittering sequins that blinded Cyborg's eyes when he tried to find something for Marie. "Ever Crumbly" assaulted his nostrils with the sickly sweet aroma of what had to be a combination of cookies and perfume, likely some ill-advised attempt to appeal to the scent palates of both children and adults. "K. C. Pony" was too horse-themed. He didn't want Ryan getting any ideas. "Old Gravy" was too boring. "Marcy's" was too expensive. Cyborg was running out of options. And patience.

"Ugh," Cyborg trudged out of yet another store, "why did I have to be the one to do this? I don't even _wear_ clothes."

"Attention patrons," a woman's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, "the mall will be closing in approximately thirty minutes. Attention...'

Cyborg tuned her out as he sat down on one of the scattered benches. He couldn't leave without getting what he came for. But he also couldn't take one more step into another kids' store. He groaned, holding his head in his hands. Would it really be that bad letting the kids run around naked? He was basically naked all the time! He definitely didn't mind it. But when it came to their newfound children, he had a feeling that his teammates might disagree.

"Man," Cyborg ran his hands down his face as he sat back up, "what am I gonna - oh..."

Without realizing it, he had managed to end up in front of "Spence", which was THE store for cool and offbeat attire. Yes, it was meant for teens. Yes, some of the shirts were a little inappropriate. But his friends had sent him on this frustrating errand, so he was going to get whatever he wanted to. And he was pretty sure "Spence" would have some hilarious kids clothes.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"What is incorrect with you?!" Starfire cried in frustration, slamming her fists down on the desk. She had been talking with Robin for what seemed like forever and he had yet to offer any insight as to what exactly was causing his bad mood.

"Wrong. You mean 'what's wrong with you'." Robin brushed past her, retrieving some additional papers from the far end of the room for the research he was attempting to continue.

"Now is not the time for the corrections!" Starfire growled, blocking his path.

Robin's fuse was growing shorter.

"Well now is also not a good time for talking!" he yelled back, "I already told you - kids stress me out! They're unpredictable - especially ones with uncontrolled powers. One tantrum and the tower might be blown up! They're compromising our safety! So we need to get rid of them as quickly as possible, which," he rose onto his tiptoes to give a level, pointed glare at the redhead, "I can't do if you keep bothering me!"

"That is not a satisfactory response!"

Her volume forced Robin back onto his heels, and he barely caught himself before toppling over. Starfire was trying very hard to keep her anger in check, but the strong glow around her hands was evidence that she was struggling.

"Why is nothing I say good enough for you?!" Robin pressed, closing the distance between them once again.

"Perhaps if your words contained the honesty then they _would_ be!" Starfire countered, hard eyes boring into his.

Their foreheads were practically touching, yet the air between them was charged, thick with a tension that would not hold for much longer. Someone was going to break. It was anyone's guess as to whom. On the surface, the titans' own power couple appeared to be very different people. He was serious and obsessive, with a tendency to repress his feelings that rivaled Raven's. She was bubbly, effusive, taking delight at the smallest little things. However, underneath that shiny veneer, Robin and Starfire were not all that different. They were both fiercely protective of their teammates, cared deeply for those they loved, had passions and confidence along with deep-seated insecurities - but the thing that stood out most? They were both capable of being _extremely_ stubborn. Robin's expression of this trait was much more obvious than Starfire's, but when she was sure of her opinion, or the justness of her cause, there was little anyone could do to sway her. Robin was a smart boy, and prideful as he was, the girl in front of him was more important than his own ego, It was a little known fact that in these situations, he was almost always the one who backed down first. There were many things Robin was prepared to risk, but losing Starfire was not one of them.

"Fine," Robin sighed, breaking eye contact, and walked around the desk, "you want to know the truth?"

Starfire's bolts immediately dissipated, and she floated over to where he stood.

"Indeed I do."

"It's just...ugh," the boy wonder let himself collapse into the desk chair, "this is going to sound bad."

Starfire smiled, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"You need have no fear of me," she smiled warmly, "please, speak freely."

Robin forced a smile back.

"You know, I, um...I really...really care about you, Star," Robin gulped, "you're, well, you know."

Starfire cocked her head, clearly not knowing.

"You're...really important to me. I mean, of course the whole team is important. As the leader I need to treat everyone equally..."

Ugh. He was rambling. Why couldn't he be better at this?! Robin inwardly kicked himself and started again.

"I just...even knowing where my responsibilities lie, I...well, I still care more about you."

Starfire nodded patiently. Robin's flattery was nice, but she was waiting for something of substance.

"So the thought of losing you, even for a day...Star, I don't know what I would do."

Starfire furrowed her brow.

"I am...in danger of being lost?"

"No," Robin tried to explain, "I meant that if...if one day you decided that you wanted to be with someone else, I don't know if I could handle it."

Starfire frowned.

"But Robin - this is why I am so very pleased that Ryan has been sent to us! And Marie! They give me hope that we shall all remain together! They speak as if they know us - all of us! They recognize the tower as their _home_ Robin," she looked at him with pure sincerity, "therefore, rest assured, none of us shall be parted," she took his hands in her own, "and neither shall we."

Robin watched as his girlfriend leaned her face towards him, lips parted and eyelids falling, and registered that the obvious next step would be to kiss her. However, as much as he wanted to let himself melt into the blissful tenderness of her embrace, he instead blurted out,

"Then why is he _green_?"

Starfire's eyes shot open.

"Sorry?"

"Why is your son _green_ , if we have this fairytale ending where we stay together forever?" Robin questioned accusingly.

"Please," Starfire raised her brows, "what is it that you are implying?"

"Well, he's clearly not _mine_ ," Robin spat.

"Forgive me," Starfire straightened, her tone growing cold, "did not the child that you are referring to call you by the Earthling term for the male parent?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then what is there to be confused by?" she interrupted, "It appears to be clear that our future selves are happy in the rearing of mutual offspring, does it not?"

"That's not the point!" Robin cried, "It means you cheated on me with Beast Boy!"

"Then by the same logic," Starfire folded her arms "you may also have enjoyed the grebnacks of friend Raven."

Robin paled.

"But I would never-"

"And _I_ would not suspect you of doing so. But it seems you do not believe me to be as virtuous as you." Starfire huffed, turning away from him.

"That's not what I meant! I know you wouldn't...but I don't know what might happen in the future!"

Robin stood up, grasping her arm.

"Do you not trust me?" She continued to face away from him.

Robin frowned.

"Of course I do, Star."

"And would it be the safe to say we should not be together if either of us had broken such trust?"

The young man paused.

"I...guess so?"

Starfire turned back to face him.

"Then we are assured that there was some other reason for the parentage of our bumgorf?"

"I..."

Robin sighed. She did have a point. He was not one to trust easily. It was highly unlikely that infidelity would result in anything other than divorce. Of the acrimonious variety.

"You're right" he conceded, "I'm..." oh how he hated having to say this, "I'm sorry."

"You are forgiven, boyfriend Robin!"

Starfire gleefully flung her arms around the boy wonder, careful to hug him lightly enough so as not to crush him.

"Th-thanks," he wheezed.

He almost felt bad, having such a sweet resolution to the argument. He hadn't been lying, of course. The issue had definitely been something that was bothering him. But the thing that was really upsetting to him was something he was not yet comfortable admitting. Something that he was sure would not be well received. But he was his mentor's protegee. And much like his adoptive father, he would always have his secrets.

Starfire did too. In truth, she had an idea of why Ryan possessed the genetic features that he did. But unlike Robin, her thoughts went unvoiced because they lacked the evidence. She was also very concerned about how Robin would feel if she were right.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"You're doing it wrong!"

"No, I'm not. Believe it or not, Beast Boy, I _have_ taken a shower before. I know how to rinse shampoo out of hair."

"But this is different! You have to-"

Sploosh

"Duuude," Beast Boy whined, "you got it in her eyes! And I don't have the no-tears brand!"

"What?"

Raven was not familiar with children's bath products. She couldn't recall being given anything other than normal soap on Azarath. "Why do we need-"

"Mommy!" Marie wailed, "soap got in my eyes!"

She rubbed at them frantically, only managing to spread the offending chemicals around further.

"See?!" Beast Boy cried.

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Stop doing that," she scolded Marie, pulling her hands away, "you're making it worse."

The empath placed a palm above the girl's eyes and let her cooling magic soothe the child.

"There. She's fine."

"It tickles when you do that," Marie giggled.

"Hmph," Beast Boy folded his arms, "that's cheating."

"Oh really?" she raised an eyebrow, "how _should_ it have been done, bath master?"

Beast Boy grinned, flexing his fingers, "Observe."

The green teen popped open the shampoo bottle and put some in his hands, then approached Ryan's equally as green hair with confidence, working it into a lather.

"As you can see," Beast Boy explained, showing off his work, "the whole body of hair is covered with suds. Note how it maintains its shape, even without my touch," he pulled his soapy hands away from the boy's scalp. Sure enough, not a hair moved.

"Impressive. Also not how long hair works."

Beast Boy scowled.

"Now, watch as I take my hand," he wiggled his fingers, "and place it on the rim of the hairline. Careful to ensure that there is no space between my hand and his head."

Raven looked on, unamused.

"This will ensure," he went on in his best imitation of a snooty professor, "that not a single drop of soap gets into the subject's eyes."

He gestured to the empath with his free hand.

"The bucket, please?"

Raven unenthusiastically obliged. Beast Boy had been lucky to find the old plastic sand-castle-maker under the sink. It would have been a lot messier if he had to resort to rising the kids off with an elephant trunk.

"And now, the moment of truth!" The teen dumped the bucket's contents on the child, but instead of washing the suds down his face, Beast Boy's hand redirected the stream, creating waterfalls down the sides of his face.

"And that," Beast Boy stood up, triumphant, "is how an expert doe-ahhh!"

His moment of glory was interrupted when he stepped back on his heel, slipping on the soaked floor beneath him. Raven _could_ have caught him before he crashed into the wall, but she gleaned much more satisfaction from watching him fall, and offering a snarky, "Yeah. _Such_ an expert."

Beast Boy braced himself against the rim of the sink and the top of the toilet tank and pulled himself up.

"You sure know how to cut a guy down, Rae," he rubbed his bruised behind.

"You make it very easy."

He scowled, rejoining her by the tub.

"Ok," Raven addressed the splashing kids, "time to get out."

"What?!" Beast Boy squealed, "They can't get out now!"

Raven looked scrutinizingly between Ryan and Marie.

"They seem pretty clean to me. So yes, they can."

"Noooo," Beast Boy grabbed her shoulders, "the whole point of bath time is playing in the tub!"

She pushed him away from her, escaping from the unwanted physical contact.

"That sounds like a complete waste of time."

Beast Boy shrugged, "Maybe for you, but not for them. Come on, Raven," he smiled at the kids, "see how much fun they're having?"

She turned her gaze back to the mini titans, who were animatedly acting out a sea battle between what seemed to be a troop of misshapen rubber ducks, and a motley crew of a plastic donut, a dog bone, and a severely damaged toy boat. All participants had clearly seen better days. Raven sighed. They did seem to be enjoying themselves. Her own austere upbringing was no excuse for imposing the same restrictions on anyone else.

"Okay," she relented, but then, just to maintain her position for appearance's sake, she amended, "they can have five more minutes."

"Aw, seriously?" he groaned, "They need a half hour at least!"

"A half hour? The water will be freezing."

Not to mention how cold Raven was getting in her damp clothes. She really should have grabbed another cloak before doing this. The empath glanced at the soap splatters and wet patches that covered her remaining garment. On second thought, maybe it was for the best.

"Twenty minutes?" he begged.

"Ten."

"Ravennnnn..."

"Fifteen. Final offer."

"Deal!"

Beast Boy reached out to shake her hand, but she waved him away. Instead of the usual dejected look he would have given, he beamed, turning immediately back to their charges.

Raven hung back as she watched as the three of them splashed each other, laughing as Beast Boy told ridiculous backstories for each of the ducks. They played merpeople and dove for treasure, they threw water in the air to make imaginary storms - Raven had to admit that it was...well...kind of heartwarming. So of course, Beast Boy had to ruin it.

"Hey, check this out," he said, transforming into a drake and landing on the water, "quack quack!"

He addressed the other ducks, nudging them with his wings.

"Oh! Watch me! I can do it too!" Ryan became a much smaller duckling, roughly the size of his rubber counterparts. He playfully batted one the way Beast Boy did, and then squawked as Marie pushed it back at him, attempting to join in the game. Ryan narrowly escaped being squashed against the rim of the tub by turning into an angelfish and swimming away. Marie's obvious response was to try and catch him. Raven could see that this was getting dangerous.

"Ok, bath time is now officially over," the empath took charge, leaning her arm into the soapy water and pulling the rubber drain cap out, before lifting Marie out of the tub.

"That's not fair!" Beast Boy protested, jumping onto the floor in human form, "you said fifteen minutes!"

"That was before you convinced Ryan to start morphing in the tub."

Beast Boy tried to stare her down, but as always, Raven was impassive. He hung his head.

"Killjoy," he muttered, grabbing the towels and wrapping one around Marie.

"I can hear you," Raven smirked, then turned back and frowned, furrowing her brow, "but I can't see Ryan..."

"Huh?" Beast Boy scrambled to the bath, "Where'd he-uh oh..."

Out of the corner of his eye, Beast Boy saw a very green, very _small_ guppy, being sucked towards the open drain. Raven followed his gaze, and her eyes widened as Beast Boy stuck his hands in, clumsily trying to catch the little fishling.

"Raven! Do something!"

"I-I can't! My powers aren't precise when it comes to moving liquids - I might push him down the drain!"

"I'll go get Aunt Star!" Marie dashed out of the room, leaving a trail of puddled behind her.

"No! Wait!"

"Don't do that!"

The two teens shouted in unison. She ignored them.

"I didn't want to go out this way, Raven! I always thought you'd be the one to kill me!"

Raven was overcome with visions of emerald fire and smoldering walls, and the scent of her burning flesh as she watched Beast Boy get torn limb from limb by the angry Tamaranean that was headed their way. It seemed uncannily similar to that time Trigon wanted to destroy the world. Except her role then was just to be a peacefully bursting portal and not the recipient of the torture he had inflicted on the rest of humanity. She agreed with her terrified friend. This was _not_ the way she was going down.

The tub was draining quickly, and Ryan, still swept up in the current, was too frightened and disoriented to morph back. They had to do something - Beast Boy's grab-n-go tactic was failing miserably.

"Beast Boy," she commanded him, "turn into something that can suck up all the water! An elephant!"

"If I do that he'll get stuck in my nose!" The guppy slipped through his fingers again.

"A whale!"

"How big do you think this bathroom is?!"

"A...dog?" It occurred to Raven that though she had witnessed Beast Boy transform into countless different creatures, she couldn't actually name all that many animals off the top of her head. Her interests lay elsewhere, and thus, so too did her knowledge.

"A dog?!" Beast Boy cried, appalled, "What do you want me to do?! Eat him?!"

His eyes lit up. Normally a very clear indication that something mischievous and maniacal was going on in his brain, which never boded well for anyone else. This time, however Raven would take what she could get.

"Whatever it is, just do it quickly!" She urged, hearing Starfire's distinctive stride starting down the hall.

Beast Boy nodded and dove into the tub as a pelican, beak opened wide, and dragged the lower part through the water, filling his gullet, then leaned his head over the side of the tub and spat its contents out. All over Raven. A little green fish wriggled on her chest, and she picked it up by its tail.

"Ryan!" She lifted the fish to eye level, "You're ok. You can turn back now."

"Oh, I wouldn't-"

But Beast Boy's warning came too late. In the blink of an eye the helpless guppy grew a hundred times larger, and a full size boy knocked the air out of Raven as he fell.

"Mommy!" Ryan wailed, scrambling off of Raven and running towards the redhead in the doorway.

"What is it that distresses you my little bumgorf?"

Starfire hugged the child to her, before looking up and seeing the disaster of a room he had just come from. The whole place was covered in water, the soap bottles were scattered, and Raven and Beast Boy looked like they'd just washed up on shore after a shipwreck.

"What is it exactly that has happened here?" She asked, concerned.

Raven pushed herself off the floor and gestured behind her.

"Beast Boy just lost his bath privileges."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 13

"Shouldn't Cyborg be back by now?!"

"I am in agreement," Starfire struggled to hold Ryan, "he has been gone for quite the while."

"Argh," Robin rolled onto the floor yet again, "why are they so fast?!"

"I-hmph," Starfire winced as Ryan fought against her grip, "I presume it is-agh-because of their-oomf," Ryan hit at her arms, "small stature and-ow!-flight abilities."

"Ah!" Robin lunged at Marie and missed again, "Rhetorical question, Star."

As soon as Starfire had shown up after the bathroom fiasco, Raven immediately forgot her earlier misgivings and shoved the children at her, saying it was Starfire's turn to deal with them. Presumably she and Beast Boy were currently getting cleaned up, which left Starfire and Robin with two very hyper, very _naked_ little titans on their hands.

"Marie! Put your towel back on, _now_!"

"No!" she giggled, levitating just out of his reach.

Robin wondered if perhaps he should just let her be. He felt like his mentor would never have engaged in this kind of a fight. But then again, the man had never raised someone this young. Robin had also been much more obedient.

"Mommy!" Ryan wailed, "Let me go!"

"I am afraid-argh," Ryan attempted to pry her arms off of him, punching at her forearms, "I cannot do that. But perhaps you could stop the of the hitting of me?"

To her relief, Ryan did stop. But only to switch tactics, resorting to elbowing her in the stomach instead.

Marie was holding out with equal perseverance, toying with Robin by hovering just out of his reach and laughing as he kept jumping up and failing to grab her.

"Marie!" Robin narrowly avoided a collision with the wall, "If you don't get down here you're going to lose...I mean, I'm going to...uh..."

The usual threats of grounding or taking away toys was completely moot here. Kids this young weren't going out without their parents anyway, and they didn't have any valued possessions. Unless you counted the beat-up chew toys Beast Boy gave them. But those should probably be taken from them regardless.

"What're you gonna do?"

Robin refused to admit defeat - especially not against a little kid. Bur what could he do? He didn't have any experience with-oh!

"I," Robin announced authoritatively, "am going..." he built up the suspense, "to count to _three._ "

The little girl's eyes widened.

"And if you're not down here by then, then you are going to be _very_ sorry."

He didn't know why it was that children responded so well to a stern countdown, but, for whatever the reason, it was usually quite effective. Why did he know that? His guardian had preferred a more silent approach, glaring coldly at him until he calmed down. His parents though...he could vaguely recall a time when he had eaten far too much cotton candy from the snack stand, and his father using the same tone...the same voice...did Robin really sound that much like him? His voice was a bit higher, but in a few years...would he look like him too? Would he wake up every morning and be forced to see his father's face? To be reminded of..

Robin couldn't let his barrier down like this. It never led to anything good. He had learned a long time ago that you couldn't let these things get to you. That those who are strong, those who succeed, are made of steel. Nothing gets beneath their armor, and neither past occurrences nor present longing could distract them from their duty. Nothing was as important as Robin's role as leader, and he was anything but weak. He patched him mental dam as the floodwaters of his memory retreated.

He raised his index finger at Marie.

"One..."

She stayed aloft, brow furrowed, trying to determine if the threat of a second number was real.

"Two..."

At this point, even Ryan stopped his blows.

"Two and a half..."

Marie held her ground.

"Two and two thirds..."

Ryan's eyes were terrified, darting between the two opponents.

"Two and three fourths..."

The heat was getting to her, Robin could tell. Her lower lip was quivering, and she had definitely dropped a few inches. Just a little more, and she'd be right where he wanted her.

"Two and four fifths..."

Another foot. Robin smiled smugly. Time to maximize the pressure.

"Two and seven eighths..."

He doubted that Marie was familiar with fractions, but by his tone he was sure she could tell her time to act was almost gone. She was almost touching the floor...

"Thr-"

"Titans! I'm hoooooome!" Cyborg barged through the main doors, "And I have some gifts for y'all!" he grinned at the kids.

"Ooh! Gifts!"

Ryan and Marie rushed towards him, attacking the many shopping bags in his arms.

Robin watched as they ripped the paper and plastic apart and shook his head. So much for his show of authority. Starfire wrapped her arms around him, taking him by surprise, and chuckled.

"Your conduct was most impressive, boyfriend Robin," she assured him, "but the plans of the mice are often caught in the mouse traps, are they not?"

Robin smiled at her and stole a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yes they are, Star."

"Whoa!"

"Cool!"

"I want the one with the white circle and the black circles and the x!"

"No fair!"

"You can have the one with the leaf on it!"

"I don't want that one!"

"What about the one with the smiley face?"

"Hey!" Cyborg scooped up the clothes, "You can take turns ok? Plenty of clothes here for you to share. Here," Cyborg picked up a black shirt with some white words on it and handed it to Marie, "why don't you wear this, and you," he rummaged through the pile before holding another one out for Ryan, "try this on?"

Now that an 'adult' had made the final decision, the kids accepted their clothes and rushed to put them on.

"Don't forget pants too, guys!" Cyborg handed each of them a matching pair of flannel pj bottoms. Once he found the tops, he had put very little effort into the rest of the kids' purchases. They were going to be in identical jeans, jackets, and socks for the foreseeable future.

"Mommy!" Ryan bounced over to his mother excitedly, "what does it say?!"

"Awww! How adorable!" Starfire cooed over the purple shirt with the white heart, then read the word, "I tolerate you! Oh...that is not what I had done the expecting of."

"What is tol-uhr-mate?" Ryan cocked his head.

"I believe it is...between the liking and the not liking?"

"Oh, ok." Ryan didn't understand Starfire's explanation, but smiled anyway and raced back to Marie, pulling her towards his parents.

"What does Marie's say?"

Starfire squinted as she read the small text beneath the numbers, "Three hundred and thirty three...I am only...half evil?"

She turned to Robin, puzzled.

"Please, what is the meaning-"

"Very funny, Cyborg," a clean and cloaked Raven entered the room, "your taste is impeccable."

"I try," Cyborg grinned.

"Cyborg!" Robin yelled, lifting a shirt with a name tag reading 'hi, I'm: A MISTAKE" on it, "We asked you to get kids' clothes! These are completely inappropriate!"

"Well, don't sent _me_ on _your_ errands anymore! They're your kids!"

Before Robin could reply, a "Sweeeet!" was heard from the rooms newest occupant as rifled through the clothes on the floor.

"See?" Cyborg smirked, "Somebody likes my sense of style."

"Is this for Marie?" Beast Boy held up a shirt that said 'Lil' Gamer'.

"Sure is!" Cyborg grinned.

"Aww thanks Cy!" he beamed a toothy smile, then called behind him, "Hey, Marie! Check this out!"

He grabbed the shirt with the controller on it and was about to make a beeline for the kids when Cyborg held him back with a hand on his shoulder.

"Hold up, BB," Cyborg pulled a matching T with the words 'Big Gamer' on it and handed it to Beast Boy.

"Matching t-shirts?!" Beast Boy cried, "Awesome!"

Robin scowled as Beast Boy ran to show off his present to the kids.

"Aw, don't worry Robin," Cyborg produced another piece of clothing and shoved it at Robin's chest, "I got you a little something too."

Robin frowned, unamused, but held the shirt out anyway and read the words aloud.

"Ask me about my...Daddy issues?" Robin registered the words and snarled at his laughing friend, "I'm going to-"

"What we _should_ be doing is figuring out where the kids and I are sleeping," Raven redirected the conversation, "there's broken glass all over my room, and my bed collapsed, so I can't stay there tonight."

"Oh! Raven! May we do the over of sleep together?"

"Sure," Raven shrugged, then, under her breath, "it's not like I have any other options."

"I guess that leaves the kids in the guest bedroom then," Robin affirmed, "someone should probably change the sheets. I'm not sure when the last time they were changed was."

"Nooo!" Beast Boy screeched, bounding back to the rest of the team, "they can't stay there!"

"Why not?" Robin furrowed his brow.

"Because it's not a guest room!"

The titans grew silent, and all but Robin lowered their eyes.

"Beast Boy," he started, gently, "she's not coming back. You know that."

"But she might!" Beast Boy protested, "I mean we've saved the world a bunch of times, time traveled, been sucked into the tv - if all that crazy stuff happened then anything's possible!"

"It's possible," Robin nodded, "but you told us yourself, Beast Boy. You said you found her, and she didn't want to remember us. She didn't want to come back."

"Stop saying that!" Beast Boy yelled, balling his fists, "She could change her mind!"

He looked around wildly, searching for reassurance in the faces of his friends, but none would meet his eyes. Robin smiled sadly.

"But she...she might..." Beast Boy's lanky form fell slowly to the ground, "you don't know."

Robin kneeled down next to him and rested a gloved hand on his back.

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy."

His face grew wet, and he struggled not to cry. Robin was never comfortable with being quite so vulnerable, even amongst friends, and so he awkwardly patted his younger friend on the back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

THUMP

Something hit Beast Boy hard in the side, then wrapped itself around him.

"Don't be sad, Daddy," Marie squeezed him, "it's ok."

He looked up at the little pale-skinned girl clinging to his neck, and then it dawned upon him. Marie and Ryan both had mothers. Mothers that were not blonde and blue-eyed and funny and reckless. Which meant that, even if she did come back, she wouldn't want to be with him. Did anyone, really? Even Raven, his apparent future wife, didn't want biological kids with him. He had no idea what was up with Ryan over there. He wasn't relevant right now.

Beast Boy hugged Marie back and looked up at Robin over his shoulder.

"Please?" he begged, "Don't."

Cyborg could see by the set of Robin's jaw that he was not going to budge. It was always logistics and efficiency with him. Why cram people into rooms when there's an empty one just sitting there with a sizable bed? But Cyborg had his buddy's back. If he didn't want any kids messing up his one-time-girlfriend's room, then Cyborg would suggest an alternative.

"Hey Rob," he addressed their leader, "why don't you and Star just bunk together with Ryan? I used to sleep in my parents' bed all the time when I was little."

"Starfire is not sleeping in my room," Robin's voice was icy.

"Man," Cyborg clapped him on the shoulder as he straightened, "y'all've been dating for months! Don't tell me you don't share a bed every now and then!"

Robin's face grew red.

"I said, we _don't_."

"Ok, lover-boy," Cyborg raised his hands in surrender, "whatever you say."

"We don't!" he insisted again, "Really!"

Robin was a professional. This team was like family, but it was also a job and a life lived very much in the public eye. He couldn't have people thinking that there was anything unsavory going on in their tower full of teenagers. It was a difficult image to maintain. Sure, he and Starfire definitely spent a lot of time together, but it was usually outside, away from their friends' prying eyes and ears and teasing. If they ever did stay up late in one of their respective rooms, Robin ensured that whichever one of them was playing visitor returned to their own bed before they went to sleep. Perhaps when they were older it would be different. But for now, he couldn't have his team talking like that.

"Fine," Cyborg shrugged, "it's your business, not mine."

"Cyborg..." Robin growled.

"Please, friends, I am having a solution!" Starfire flew in between them, "The bumgorfs must join Raven and I in the over of sleep!"

"Can they just...not?" Raven asked.

On the very rare occasions that the girls had been forced or, more rarely, decided to do a sleepover, Raven was always stuck touching some part of Starfire's body. The taller girl slept like a log - the kind that was straight and immovable. She also slept right in the middle of whatever bed she was in, like a hard divider of the mattress, leaving barely enough space for her bedmate on either side. Raven didn't doubt that Robin never stayed over in the same bed as his girlfriend. He'd never get a decent night's sleep if he did. The idea of Raven AND two additional people crammed into Starfire's pink sheets was unpleasant, to say the least.

"Where else might they go?" Starfire asked, pointedly.

"Well," Cyborg joined in the discussion, "BB has bunk beds - so they could sleep in there. Only problem's the smell."

"I am in agreement with Cyborg," Starfire nodded, "young bumgorfs should not be exposed to such harmful fumes."

"Ok, so tomorrow we can clean out Beast Boy's room and set the kids up in there," Robin planned aloud, "but where are you going to sleep?" he faced his younger teammate, "I know you can sleep on the floor, but the couch won't be replaced for a few days. Won't you be uncomfortable?"

"I'll take Terra's room."

Robin raised an eyebrow, "Did you not just make a whole scene about how none of us are allowed to stay there?"

"Um..." Beast Boy blushed a dark forest green, "you guys, uh, you'll change the smell."

"Huh?" Cyborg scratched his head, "If you care so much about that then what's the deal with _your_ room?!"

Beast Boy mumbled something incoherent.

"What was that?" Cyborg leaned towards him, cupping his ear.

He mumbled again.

"Huh?" Cyborg asked again.

"He said that her scent's still there. If one of us starts staying there they'll be replacing it with their own," Raven translated, irritated, "now, I'm tired, so the kids and I are going to bed," she grabbed them each by one of their hands, dragging them to the doors amidst a series of yawned protests. Though Raven had only taken hold of them because she didn't want them waking her up when they got into bed after her, it was clear that the little duo were reaching their limit.

"Don't wanna..." Marie started, halfheartedly tugging her arm away from Raven, "...don't wanna go to bed..." she rubbed her eyes with her free hand.

"Not sl-" Ryan interrupted himself with a loud yawn, "-eepy."

"Uh huh," Raven replied sarcastically, "sure you're not."

"Hey," Cyborg called her back, causing her to turn her head, "don't they need to brush their teeth? My mom always made me do it before I hit the hay."

"Nope. Not happening."

"He has a point, Raven. As acting guardian for the night," Robin was careful to not include himself in the umbrella term, "you should try and set a good example."

"I know it's hard to believe," she turned back to the door, "but I don't really care."

Robin knew it was petty, but he _really_ didn't like it when his team didn't listen to him.

"I'm afraid," he shot between the empath and the doors, "I must insist. We can't have then getting cavities."

"We also can't have a vengeful half-demon destroying the rest of the tower because she finds herself covered in toothpaste."

A black tendril of energy pushed Robin aside.

"But since you seem to be so enthusiastic, feel free to do it with them tomorrow," she slid the doors open with her mind, "it's going to be messy."

Robin gulped. Everyone knew how much he hated disorder. Especially the sticky, toothpastey kind.

"Heh..uh, that's ok," he stepped back, arms raised in surrender, "clean teeth aren't _that_ important."

"Mhm," Raven affirmed, "Starfire?"

The Tamaranean raised her head.

"Are you coming?"

"Oh!" Starfire grinned sheepishly, "Of course!"

She floated behind the trio as they stepped into the hall, then poked her head back into the common room.

"Pleasant shlorvaks friends!" she wished the boys before the doors closed once again.

"Goodnight, Star!" Robin called back.

"And good luck!" Cyborg added. She was probably going to need it.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 14

There were many things in her life which Raven had not expected. She hadn't expected to actually enjoy being a referee for the boys' gross games of stankball. She hadn't expected to find people that truly loved and accepted her. She hadn't even expected to survive past the age of sixteen. But the most unexpected of all, something she had never even remotely envisioned, was waking up in the vice-like grip of a Tamaranean girl who was snuggling with her as if she were a plushie, murmuring sweet nothings in her ear.

Raven groaned.

"Starfire, wake up!"

Starfire grabbed her tighter and nuzzled her neck.

"Let GO!" Raven wriggled in her grasp, trying to avoid lips that were definitely headed for her cheek.

"No Robin..." Starfire murmured, "do not...leave..."

"I'm _not_ Robin! STARFIRE!" Raven cried as her friend threw a leg around her, "STARFIRE, STOP!"

It was a little known fact that Raven could not phase through people. Well, it wasn't that she _couldn't_. It was more like she had no idea what would happen if she did. Walls were fine, air was fine-water was finicky-but people? They were unpredictable. Starfire might stay exactly where she was if Raven attempted to defy the laws of physics and dissolve through her arms. But she might also turn to her side, or sit up, which would cause Raven's calculation of where she should resolidify to be very incorrect. Best case? She would miss her. Worst? She might find herself stuck halfway through Starfire's torso. She wasn't sure what kind of internal damage that would do, let alone whether or not it would be reversible. She was actually shocked that her friends never asked her why she apparently _let_ the villains they fought assault her when they knew she should be more than capable of magically disappearing from their grips and punches. Why was everyone able to so easily accept that she, for all her fearsome power, was equally as vulnerable as the rest of them when it came to hand-to-hand combat?! Robin, at least, should have been curious.

"Robin...why...must we..." Starfire raised a hand to caress her pale cheek, "...always...do the...stopping?"

Raven took the momentary release of one of her bindings to try and push her way out. Unfortunately, even with a single arm Starfire was still much stronger than Raven, and held her tight around her waist. Her waist! Raven leaned as far as she could, given Starfire's restriction on her flexibility, until her fingers brushed against the communicator on her belt. Normally she'd set it on a nightstand, but all she could remember from the night before was the foggy image of a struggle to get the kids to stop kicking each other beneath the blankets and hearing the beginning of a less-than-melodious rendition of the sixty-some-odd verses of a Tamaranean lullaby. She passed out around verse three, apparently still fully clothed, aside from the cape Marie had stolen from her, saying something about losing her baby blanket. Was it even worth it to put on another one? Speaking of which, where were the kids? She craned her head to see far side of the bed. Instead of continuing their foot fight, it seemed the two had settled their differences, and Marie was lying on her back with Ryan curled up as a kitten on her pillow, fur brushing her cheek. She shuddered. It was weird seeing two people who looked so much like her and Beast Boy being that close and comfortable together. Up until now, the only thing she'd slept that close to was a book harboring an evil dragon. At least Starfire wasn't _intentionally_ trying to hurt her. She reached once again for the communicator, this time able to grip the antenna with the tips of her fingers, and worked it out of her belt. She smiled, victorious, as Starfire's other arm wrapped back around her, decreasing her mobility once again. She had to call someone. But who? Robin would be wildly uncomfortable and far less strong, so he was out. Beast Boy would tease her mercilessly, so that was a no. It seemed Cyborg was the best option.

"Cyborg," Raven turned the device on, "I have a situation."

Cyborg was not happy. Just _once_ he'd like to sleep in. He had a full day of repairs and heavy construction ahead of him - couldn't he at least get a good night's sleep before he got started?! He scowled through the screen.

"Go back to sleep, Rae. Your room got destroyed so you bunked with Starfire and the two kids from the future that we found yesterday," Cyborg summarized the various things that his friend might have forgotten or been shocked by upon waking, "It's ok. We can talk about it later."

Cyborg moved to turn his communicator off.

"I KNOW!" Raven seethed, "But this is an emergency."

"Seriously? Can't you just ask Star? I'm sure she could help with whatever problem you're having."

The girl in question reached in front of the camera, grabbing Raven's face and trying to turn it towards her.

"Starfire _is_ the problem! Ahh!"

The screen went static.

"Raven? Raven!" Cyborg jumped off his slab, "I'm coming!"

So much for his relaxing morning.

Raven's face was inches from Starfire's when Cyborg burst in the room.

"What the..." Cyborg took a step back, "somebody tell me what's going on!"

Raven's hands were pressed against Starfire's chest, the only area where she could get any traction, and was trying her best to push herself away.

"She's still sleeping!", Raven lost her grip and fell towards Starfire again, narrowly missing her pursed lips, "Get her off of me!"

"Huh?" Cyborg took a moment to process the conflicting data.

His eye and image sensors were showing a bunch of tangled sheets and two people that appeared to be cuddling and about to go into a kiss. But if Raven said Starfire was attacking her in her sleep, then he was going to believe her.

"I got you, Rae!"

Cyborg ran over to the bed and grabbed Starfire under the arms, trying to pull her off of his other friend. However, despite their combined efforts, Starfire was just too strong. Why did she have to be such a deep sleeper? True, there had been many occasions where a disturbance in the hall had awoken the Tamaranean, but those were on nights when her slumber was light, either just having gone to bed or lightly dreaming. But when she was truly exhausted, like one would be after chasing down superpowered children for an entire day, it was next to impossible to wake her. She was half the reason their alarm was as loud as it was. The other was Beast Boy. But whether or not he was a deep sleeper or just too stubborn to get out of bed was anyone's guess. The alarm _would_ wake her up, but was it worth waking everyone else up? Cyborg witnessed the fight Raven was putting up. Yeah, it was worth it.

"Be right back!" Cyborg rushed out the door.

"Come back!" Raven yelled after him.

"In a sec!"

The teen rushed into the common room and pulled the alarm, triggering a series of deafening beeps and flashing red lights.

Robin jumped out of bed, rushing towards main ops, while Beast Boy sluggishly slid off of his top bunk and dragged himself towards the same location. Both boys were caught off guard when they saw Cyborg dashing in the opposite direction.

"Cyborg?" Robin asked, puzzled, "Did you pull the alarm?"

"Dude, this better be important! I'm missing out on my beauty sleep!" Beast Boy whined.

Cyborg pushed past them, not bothering to explain.

"Cyborg?" Robin turned to Beast Boy before following him, "Come on!"

"Do I have to?" Robin's arm reached back and grabbed Beast Boy by the shirt, dragging him along.

The alarm rang loud throughout the tower, and Cyborg wasted no time in getting back to the bedroom, where Starfire was just waking up. When she opened her eyes, however, ready to jump into action, she was confused to see Raven's terrified face in front of her.

"Eep!" she shot off the bed, flying far above it.

Raven rolled onto her back and breathed in a few deep breaths. She had almost forgotten what it was like to have her lungs fill completely. Starfire had quite the grip.

"Um...friend Raven?" Starfire asked tentatively, "Why was it that you were in the personal bubble of space that is mine?"

Raven enjoyed a few more breaths before responding.

"You attacked me," Raven glared up at her, "in your sleep."

"I did?" Starfire furrowed her brow, "But I was having the most glorious dream..."

"Yeah. It seemed like you and Robin were having a great time," Raven agreed.

"How did you know?"

"Because she got to play Robin," Cyborg came back into the room, the real Robin and Beast Boy on his heels,.

Starfire blushed a deep scarlet.

"Oh."

"What's going on?" Robin demanded.

"Yeah," Beast Boy yawned, "did Raven have a nightmare that came to life or something?"

"You could say that," Raven agreed, about to sit up. Before she could, however, two little bodies launched themselves at her.

"Mommy!"

"Aunt Raven!"

They pinned her down, "don't go!"

"What?" she groaned, not even bothering to regain her personal space.

"The alarm means you got to go fight somebody!" Ryan explained.

"But we want you to stay" Marie clarified, "Aunt Starfire was here last time and I don't wanna get sick again!"

"Hmph," Starfire folded her arms, "as I recall it was _you_ that requested the eating of the glorg."

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Okay," Cyborg took charge, "everybody off Raven."

He shooed the kids off of the empath.

"Now, who's hungry for something that's _not_ glorg?"

"I am!" the kids shouted in unison.

"How about Uncle Cy's signature waffles?" he grinned.

"Yeah!" They scampered off the bed and ran to the teen.

"So..." Robin asked, "is anyone going to fill me in?"

"Starfire attacked Raven in her sleep," Cyborg shrugged, glossing over the details, "I turned the alarm on to wake her up."

"Well, can you turn it off then?!" Beast Boy cried, "My ears are killing me!"

"Hold your horses," Cyborg made his way out of the room, trailed by Beast Boy, "I'll get it."

Robin shook his head before following the others.

Starfire lowered herself to the ground, approaching Raven.

"I must do the apologizing for the actions of sleep-Starfire," she rubbed her arm, "I hope you will do the forgiving of me."

Raven leaned over and grabbed her discarded cape from the other side of the bed, fastening it around her shoulders.

"I'll survive," Raven stood up, brushing past her, "but Starfire," she addressed her over her shoulder, "if Robin ever _does_ stay over," Starfire's eyes widened, "you need to be a lot more careful."

Starfire fell back onto her mattress after the door closed.

"Now _no one_ will do the sleeping of over with me."


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 15

"Ok," Cyborg sifted through the food products Starfire had salvaged, "looks like waffles aren't happening."

The fact that the stove no longer existed was also a problem. Though, in theory he could get something cooking if he hooked a metal plate up to some of the various dangling wires. He probably should have covered those up before going to bed. Oops.

"Which means...let's see what we got here..." he tried to find something, _anything_ , edible, but all there was left was, "soymilk and cereal. I'm sorry guys," he winced as he filled two chipped bowls and handed them to the kids, "this hurts me more than it'll hurt you."

He shuddered as the kids took their bent spoons and ate their first bites.

"Why wob ih hurb?" Ryan asked through a mouthful of oats.

Marie swallowed, licking her lips, "It's good!"

Cyborg's jaw dropped. Beast Boy had done it. He'd managed to brainwash not one, but _two_ children into thinking his gross vegan milk was 'good'. He stared at the kids in disbelief before turning away, using a hand to block them out of his peripheral vision.

"I...I can't watch."

"Cy!" Beast Boy cried, attempting to pour an empty soymilk container into his own dish, "You gave them the last of the milk! How am I supposed to eat my cereal now?"

"Dry," Raven answered, "and do it quickly. You have a lot of work to do."

"This early?!" he whined, "Can't it wait until the afternoon?"

"Not unless you want someone sleeping in the guest room," Raven threatened, "because I am _not_ sharing a room with Starfire."

The Tamaranean in question flew into the room just in time to hear Robin's task list for the day.

"Ok, now that we're all here," Robin nodded towards Starfire, "we need to decide on who's watching the kids for the day. Obviously our priority is rebuilding the main ops ro-"

"No," Raven corrected, "the main priority is getting my and Beast Boy's rooms cleaned up and functional again."

"Raven," Robin chastised, "we need to think about the best interests of the team here. Your rooms aren't as important as-"

"Uncomfortable rooming situations lead to exhausted and irritable teammates."

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed, well aware of how badly the night before had gone, "lack of sleep does lead to lower levels or productivity," he recited, "might be best to just let them do their thing."

"Fine," Robin ceded, "but report back here as soon as you're done."

"Aye, aye captain," Beast Boy saluted, downing the rest of his bowl and offering a loud belch.

"Lovely," Raven rolled her eyes before heading towards the door, "I can't imagine why your room is so repellent."

"Hey!" Beast Boy ran after her, "That's not nice!"

The empath's response was lost behind the sliding doors.

"So," Robin addressed his remaining teammates, "that leaves the rest of us to help fix up. I think it's clear that the kids will get in the way if they stay here for that, so who wants to babysit?"

He looked from Cyborg to Starfire, waiting for a volunteer.

"Um..." Starfire started tentatively, "as much as I am doing the enjoying of the bumgorfs, they require much work, and I did the babysitting yesterday as well as joining friend Raven in the ensuring of their safe slumber," Starfire met their leader's eyes, "therefore I think it would be most unfair for me to have the task of watching them again today."

Robin nodded and turned expectantly to Cyborg.

"Look man," Cyborg lifted his hands in defense, "I'm the only one who knows how to fix this tower, and the soldering and heavy lifting'll be a lot quicker with Star."

Robin raised a brow. He didn't like where this was going.

"So," Cyborg shrugged, "I guess that leaves you with the kids."

Robin's eyes widened.

"B-but...I can't...I mean, not alone-"

"Relax Rob," Cyborg clapped him on the back, "you got this. You're a natural!"

The metal teen sniggered as Starfire flew to Robin's side.

"I have the faith that you will enjoy a very pleasant day with friends Ryan and Marie!"

Starfire gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek before rejoining Cyborg. Robin eyed the two children finishing their breakfasts.

"Yeah. Real pleasant."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Beast Boy had similar sentiments about the task set before him. Maybe he _should_ just give in and let the kids stay in her room. It would save a ton of time if he did. On the other hand, stopping now would mean having to help rebuild the living room, which would totally get him in trouble for being like the worst mechanic ever, meaning he'd be stuck watching the kids. He was so not ready to do that again. Maybe never. Beast Boy sighed. He guessed cleaning his room was still the best option. If he was being real with himself, he'd definitely regret it if he didn't. Thus, the green teen trudged bravely into the battlefield of clothes and garbage and did his best to win the war.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Raven's room was similarly disastrous. There were the obvious furniture pieces that would need to be replaced, and books that would need to be put back together, but there was also glass and magical artifacts strewn about the room that made it dangerous to walk, or even approach certain areas. Good thing her powers didn't require physical contact. Raven wasn't the type to procrastinate. She didn't see the point in delaying the inevitable. So rather than organize everything or create a log of which items should be handled in which ways, she just started working her way through the debris, starting from her doorway. Order didn't really matter when everything had to be fixed. The books nearest her with torn pages and bent spines were resutured with some basic reparation spells she'd memorized as a child in an effort to mitigate the general damage her emotions caused. Her relics and antiques were mostly covered in protective spells, and as such were moved to a cleared corner of the room to await re-placing. Of course, there were still unprotected things that she could not repair. These tended to include any large items. The magic she used for repairs was effective, but weak when it came to larger items. It would take a substantial amount of effort to use them on tasks like repairing the many threads required to fix her curtains, or fuse the wood of her bed frame back together. Her mattress was also a lost cause. As soon as she was done here she was going straight to the titans' designated furniture store. Once the owner of this particular establishment realized the titans would be in frequent need of furniture replacement, they made sure to always have at least one of each titan's bedroom set in stock. It eased some pressure to know that, no matter how badly their belongings were damaged, they would still be able retire to their own familiar beds.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Familiar was something Robin was attempting to avoid while he struggled to come up with a holding place for the kids. But where could he take them? Obviously bedrooms and the main ops room were out. The roof seemed like a bad idea for a variety of reasons, and the gym was a crime scene waiting to happen. The evidence room was out - too much research would be lost. The garage was a no-go - they'd be left with no functional vehicles. The basement was an interesting idea. But then he recalled that, much like the aforementioned room, the basement also held a fair amount of evidence. Where else was there?! Would he have to commission the construction of an entirely new room for them?! Oh... Robin smiled. He knew _exactly_ where he was going to take them.

"Come on," Robin commanded the children, "put your dishes in the...never mind. Just...follow me."

They ran over to him, Marie happily grabbing his hand. Ryan glanced back at his mother, who gave him a reassuring wave, and then cautiously took Robin's other hand. He stood still for a moment, wincing and leaning away, as if bracing for impact. His father wasn't paying attention, and, with his charges in tow, briskly walked them towards his ingenious location.

Starfire _had_ noticed Ryan's reaction, and was quite troubled by it. She had only known him for about twenty-four hours, but the normally emotive and loving little boy seemed rather...withdrawn, when it came to Robin. He was fine, as long as Starfire was there, but any direct interaction with the young man he called 'Daddy' was strained and wrought with...was it fear? Starfire shuddered. The look on her son's face was far too familiar. She used to catch glimpses of it on her own face whenever Galfore told her to go off and play with Blackfire. Starfire frowned. She didn't like where that line of thinking was headed. But then, perhaps Starfire was overexaggerating. Could not the boy have done the missing of his mother? Surely, what was needed was another perspective.

"Ok Star," Cyborg cracked his metal knuckles, "let's get down to business. I'm thinking we start with the window, then do the kitchen, and finish with the main ops board. That cool with you?"

Starfire nodded.

"Alrighty," Cyborg clapped, rubbing his palms together, "let's get started then."

Starfire was silent as she helped Cyborg transport the necessary tools and materials to the living room. She uttered not a word as he directed her in placing the new window and sealing it to the existing frame. Through all of this, Cyborg assumed that she was just embarrassed about the morning, and didn't feel like talking about it. Which was fine with him. He didn't need to know what went on in his friends' dreams. He had a feeling that, if he did, he'd see some things he'd wish he hadn't. Anyway, even if Starfire _did_ feel that way, handling a giant glass pane requires focus, so not being distracted was probably for the best. But now? It was time to get to work on the kitchen. Starting with the counters and the new cabinets. If there was ever a time for free-flowing conversation, this was it. Two pals, screwing in hinges - it was a real bonding experience. He and Raven had some of their best talks while she was helping replace the oil in the T-car or replacing the hubcaps. It wasn't like he never spoke to Starfire. They definitely had their own special moments. But they didn't have anything that was just them. With Raven he had the T-car, with the guys he had their video games - but Starfire? There was never an opportunity for a free-flowing spontaneous discussion to arise. Every talk they'd had had been a deliberate effort, one of them actively seeking out the other. Sure, there was something nice about knowing that someone wanted to speak to you specifically, not just because you were the only other person in the room. But it really limited the number of times it happened. So when Starfire continued to stay silent as Cyborg cut out the metal for the doors, he had to say something.

"So," he began congenially, "how you doin' with all this?" He waved his saw-hand around, "Kind of crazy, huh?"

"Yes...quite crazy." Starfire agreed absently.

"Ok, that's it," Cyborg replaced his normal hand, "what's going on with you?"

Starfire looked away.

"Is it the kids?" he pressed, "It's overwhelming, I get it," he grinned, placing a hand on her back, "but you got this mom thing down."

"But does Robin?" She turned to face him.

"Uh..."

"Friend Cyborg, I must have your opinion," she grabbed his shoulders a bit too tightly, "do you think there is something the wrong with him?"

"I mean, guy's got a lot of issues..."

Starfire folded her arms.

"But, uh, when it comes to kids? I got no idea," he shrugged, "he seemed to do pretty well with Raven when she got turned into a kid though."

Starfire considered this.

"I...do not believe he has the problem with the general children," she said carefully, "I am concerned that he may have the problem with _our_ bumgorf."

Cyborg laughed.

"Nah. Robin's not into either of the kids. They came in here and caused a ton of damage and destruction - you know he hates that. But I'm sure they'll grow on him. He just needs to get over himself a little," he grinned.

"No," Starfire clarified, "I am not meaning the Robin of the present. I speak of the future Robin."

"Future Robin?" Cyborg scratched his head, "how could any of us know anything about that?"

"It is the way Ryan has done the reacting to him," Starfire explained, looking off towards the door, "he seems to be the scared. As if future Robin is not very nice to him."

"Oh..." Cyborg wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't been around the kids enough to notice these things. But he _did_ know Robin, and though the guy wasn't a saint he definitely wasn't the kind of person that would be cruel to kids.

"Well," Cyborg reasoned, "we don't know all that much about Robin's past."

"Agreed," Starfire sighed. It was one of the more serious points of contention in their relationship.

"But we do know he ain't the best with the warm fuzzy emotional stuff."

Again, Starfire had to concede.

"And dude puts a lot of pressure on himself. So," Cyborg reasoned, "it'd make sense that he'd put the same pressure on his kids, right? He probably didn't get a lot of slack growin' up. When you combine that with the seriousness and no emotional stuff..."

Starfire watched Cyborg, eager for his response.

"It just...I can see how Ryan could be a little scared of him."

Starfire considered his words. Being a strict parent was not necessarily a bad thing. It just meant that she would have to double the amount of affection her son received. Cyborg was indeed correct - there could not possibly be anything else going on. Starfire smiled and flung her arms around Cyborg, crushing him in a warm hug.

"Thank you dear friend," she released him, "you have done much to calm the fears."

"Any time," Cyborg grinned back, "now, how about helping me turn these sheets into some cabinets?"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"No."

"Pleeeeease Raven?"

"No."

"But I just need you to do one eensie-weensie black-transportation-thingy!"

"Well, when you put it that way..." Beast Boy's eyes lit up, "still no."

The empath walked past him.

"Come onnnn Raven! Why won't you help?" Beast Boy stepped towards her.

"Because," she turned back, "it's not _my_ room. It's _your_ mess, so it's _your_ problem. Maybe next time you'll make more of an effort to keep your room clean."

"Next time?! You think there'll be more kids coming?!" Beast Boy pulled at his hair.

"I hope not. If our future selves had any sense, they'd have stopped after two."

"I don't know-I mean what if there's another one that's a combo of Star and Cyborg? Or you and me? Or me and Robin? Or-"

"I'm sure Marie and Ryan would have mentioned if they had any other siblings or cousins or...whatever."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow and frowned, a single fang sticking out skeptically.

"So far they've only referred to us and each other as existing in their lives. If there was anyone else living in the tower they would have mentioned them, or at least asked about where they were."

Beast Boy nodded.

"Well in that case, let's get back to you helping me with _this,_ " Beast Boy stepped aside and gestured to the pile of trash outside his door, "because if we don't get this cleaned up quickly then we won't have time to air out the room and the kids won't be able to sleep here so they'll have to stay with you and Star again."

"I'm actually about to go get a new bed, so I won't be staying with Starfire," Raven turned away again.

"Fine!" Beast Boy scrambled, "but, uh...Marie will still have to stay in your room!"

"No she won't. She can stay with Ryan and Starfire," Raven continued down the hall.

"But..."

Beast Boy was running out of ideas. If they were banking on Ryan and Marie being ok alone in his bunk beds without any of them there, then there shouldn't be an issue if they were together in Starfire's room without Raven for a night. He did have one last angle though.

"Raven," he started, "we're teammates, right?"

"Yeah..." The empath stopped and folded her arms, allowing him one last plea.

"And now there's this kid, right? Marie? Who says we're her parents."

"Allegedly."

Beast Boy smiled inwardly. She was listening.

"So if we _are_ her parents, like in the future, then future us would want us to look after her, right?"

"Possibly. Robin also said that someone pushed the kids through that portal. So it's also possible that we wanted to get rid of them."

"Uh...heh," Beast Boy chuckled uncomfortably, not sure if she was joking, "anyway, I think future us would want normal us to be a team too. Like, a parenting team. For Marie!"

Raven was unmoved.

"And as a parenting team," Beast Boy revisited his earlier point, "I think we should help each other out! Starting with you helping me move my trash to the dumpster!"

Raven stared at Beast Boy, and he shifted under her gaze. Then, without a word, the garbage pile was engulfed in black and disappeared into the floor, presumably on its way to the trash room. Beast Boy grinned.

"Do you have any fans?"

"Huh?"

Beast Boy was confused by the question. Why would Raven care about that?

"I mean, yeah! I have a ton of fans! What's not to love about _this_?" He gestured to his green physique, "I'm in demand, Rae. What can I say? I mean, even _you_ fell for me!"

Raven gave Beast Boy a cold glare.

"Fans as in the electric kind with the ability to blow away the stench of rotting pizza."

"Ohh..." Beast Boy smiled embarrassedly, "yeah, don't have any of those."

"You should probably get some. I don't think the smell's going away on its own."

Raven, hopefully for the last time, turned back and resumed her walk towards the elevator.

"Wait!" Beast Boy dashed over to her, "You're going to get new furniture right? Let me come! We can pick up some fans on the way!"

"You just want me to carry them."

"No!" Beast Boy covered, waving his hands in defense, "I, uh...just thought we could spend some quality time together! You know, discuss...uh...parenting techniques! And...stuff!"

He grinned widely. Raven was well aware of what was actually going on. But, to be honest, Raven didn't want to have to deal with whatever traumatic experience Starfire might inflict upon Marie and Ryan if they stayed with her without Raven's supervision. It was in everyone's best interests that the kids have their own room, which could hopefully be locked and have cameras put in so they could be certain of where they were and what they were doing without allowing them to hurt themselves or destroy the rest of the tower. If she didn't let Beast Boy join her, he was going to bug Cyborg for the keys to the T-car, resulting in a fight about Beast Boy's inability to drive well and Cyborg's being too busy to take him anywhere, which would probably lead Beast Boy to steal the keys and crash the T-car into a wall like last time. This scenario would end with Robin being called and Beast Boy never making it to the store at all. Which meant no fans and thus no acceptably-scented room for the kids. Was it really worth all that drama? The answer often varied. Today, however, Raven decided that the answer was no.

"Fine. Just don't get in my way."

"Yay!" Beast Boy fist-bumped the air, "go Team Logan!"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

While Beast Boy and Raven had been cleaning their rooms, another makeshift team consisting of Robin and his mini-titans, had approached a room once used to hold the female half of 'Team Logan'. Well, _hold_ was a strong word. It sounded like it was used as a prison. In reality, the space was created to protect Raven from her father and his minions when they tried to come for her and force her to be a portal to bring Trigon into the world. In retrospect, turning it into a holding cell would have been a good idea. But as it stood, the room was excellent for keeping things out, but a failure at keeping things in. Thus, when Raven decided that she couldn't hide from her destiny, and left the tower to meet her fate, the room was useless in stopping her. Since then, there hadn't been a need for the room, so it sat there, laying idle. Until today.

"Here it is," Robin held the door open, "go on in."

Marie and Ryan eyed the big, empty room. It appeared to be a giant box with a long glass window near the top, looking into another room. The children didn't move.

"Come on, guys," Robin gave them a strong nudge, "this is your new playroom."

"It doesn't have any toys," Marie stated.

"You don't need toys," Robin smiled, pointing at Marie's head, "you have your imagination!"

Marie rolled her eyes. Robin flinched. It was uncomfortable seeing his eyes move in such a Raven-esque way.

"Don't do that," he reprimanded, "it's rude."

"But Mommy does it all the time."

"Well, it's rude when she does it too."

"Mommy and Daddy don't care," Marie walked away from him, farther into the room.

Robin held his tongue. He had some choice words for the future Beast Boy and Raven, but telling them to Marie wasn't going to achieve anything. Maybe trigger a tantrum, but not fix her manners. He turned to Ryan.

"What are you waiting for?" Robin pushed him the rest of the way in, speaking a little harsher then necessary given his frustration with Marie.

"This room," Robin gestured to the walls around them, "is fortified against any attacks-physical, magical, or other. Meaning that you guys should be safe here. I'm also hoping that some of these safety measures will prevent you guys from getting out and running wild around the tower. But I think," Robin lied, attempting to create a semblance of goodwill, "that I can trust you to behave. And if you prove yourselves, then maybe you can go and play somewhere else a little more fun."

Of course, nothing was really stopping the two children from unlocking the door and running free, but he hoped his warning and stern tone would be enough to dissuade them from trying. Besides, he'd be watching them from the other room, so if an escape mission was being executed, he'd be able to stop it in its tracks.

"We can be good!" Ryan nodded emphatically.

Marie ignored him.

"I have some things I need to take care of," Robin continued, "and I'm going to be doing that right in the other side of that window," he pointed to the glass, "so if you need anything, let me know."

"Yes Daddy!" Ryan smiled his best smile, but Robin just nodded and closed the door.

That wasn't so bad. Already, in the first hour of his babysitting career, he had found a safe, easily observable place to keep the kids out of trouble, _and_ was going to get some of his own work done. Robin smiled to himself. Everything was under control.

Oh, how wrong he was.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 16

"Oo Raven! How about this one?" Beast Boy grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards a bed with a warm wood frame.

"I already ordered my bed."

"Yeah, like five minutes ago!" Beast Boy protested, "you could totally change your mind!"

"Could, but won't."

"But Rae," Beast Boy spun around with his arms outstretched, "look at all the possibilities!"

"It doesn't matter what possibilities there are if I've already made my decision."

"What about this one?" Beast Boy ignored her, running over to a twin bed fashioned like a race car, "don't tell me you've never dreamed of being a race car driver!"

"You caught me. Driving around in circles without a license thrills me."

"Aww, don't be such a downer," Beast Boy scolded, "have a little fun! You don't _always_ have to be all dark and cr-I mean, uh..."

"Well, there's no need to be childish and immature either," she said hotly.

"I didn't mean it-and I wasn't talking about _you_ -I just meant your room is kind of...scary..."

Raven scowled.

"Hey!" Beast Boy turned defensive, "I don't complain when you guys are all mean and judgy about _my_ room! You shouldn't get cranky just because I say _one_ little thing about yours."

Raven maintained her displeased expression.

"Ugh! Why are you so dramatic?!"

"You're one to talk," Raven threw back his insult, "and let's focus on your room for a second. Why do you even _have_ bunk beds? It's not like you ever have any friends sleeping over."

Beast Boy grew quiet. Aside from Starfire, who occasionally convinced Raven to stay in her room (usually far on the other side of her bed), the titans didn't really do sleepovers. Sure, they stayed up late into the night, playing video games or watching movies, but aside from that? None of the boys ever had real heart-to-heart talks that lasted until sunrise. Cyborg had a charging station that he had to plug into every night, and Robin felt that sleepovers were ridiculous. Not that Beast Boy had asked him...or hinted that an all-titan slumber party could be awesome... Starfire would definitely be the most fun. She was both open and prying, the best combination for secret-sharing and gossip. Both of which Beast Boy enjoyed. Despite his reputation for being extremely chatty and minimally filtered, Beast Boy was actually pretty great at keeping secrets. It's just that no one really trusted him. Of course, he did have to be told the secret was a secret. If it wasn't explicitly stated, then the information was fair game for sharing. Maybe that was why no one trusted him. But anyway, Robin would have a fit if Starfire bunked with Beast Boy for a night, and having a sleepover with Raven would probably be super boring. If she even agreed. Which she wouldn't. Besides, that's not why he had gotten himself bunk beds in the first place. But that didn't mean that Raven's comment didn't hurt.

"Whatever, Raven," Beast Boy turned away, "let's just go."

Ugh. Not again. Why was she always doing this? Believe it or not, it wasn't Raven's intention to hurt people's feelings. She was just...what did Beast Boy call her? A downer. Killjoy. Pessimist. Those were just a few of the words he used. And they weren't untrue. She hadn't been raised with any hope for the future, or any joy at all, really. The fact that her current life was going, well, kind of _great_ , was something she had no intention of jinxing. So, rather than just sitting back and enjoying it, recognizing how lucky they all were, Raven did everything in her power to protect herself. She was well aware that, at any moment, it could all be taken away. So she did her best to prevent herself from being completely content, forcing herself to see the negative in every situation, just so that, when she inevitably lost it, the blow would hurt just a little less. That's not to say that she didn't love her life, of course. But it was this deeply embedded fear, resulting from a childhood filled with grim prophecies and repressed emotion, that made her the way she was. She never meant to hurt anyone - least of all her friends. Sometimes, however, she got carried away, and their feelings ended up being collateral damage.

"I don't know," Raven walked over to another bed frame, "you may be right. Maybe I _should_ do a little redecorating."

Beast Boy's ears perked up. This didn't sound like normal Raven.

"What do you think about this one?"

Beast Boy's curiosity got the better of him, and he looked back to see Raven pretending to examine a twin in pink pastel covered in multicolored hearts. He smiled. It wasn't often that she tried to indulge him, but he always appreciated it when she did. At the very least, he certainly didn't waste the opportunity when she did.

"Hm," Beast Boy stroked his fake beard, "the paint job does look good," he ran his other hand along the headboard, "but the overall construction is unacceptable."

"Oh really?"

"My dear," Beast Boy pointed a thumb at himself, "I am an _expert_ in beds."

"I'm sure you have _tons_ of experience."

Beast Boy colored.

Oh, right. She wasn't supposed to be acting obnoxious. Oops. Raven checked herself and tried again.

"So what do you suggest instead?"

"Well," Beast Boy got back into character, "there are many excellent options," he pointed to some purple bunk beds not too different from his own, "perhaps a set for you and Marie?"

"Let's hope she's not going to have to stay in my room," Raven declined, "I'm going to have to pass on that one."

"I understand," Beast Boy nodded knowingly, "perhaps the larger bed frames would be better for you. Unless you're looking for a twin?"

"No, I like my space."

"Right this way then!" Beast Boy led the way to a different model, a big four-poster with carved dark wood and a red canopy, "this seems like your style! One part vampire-y castle furniture and one part blood red curtains!"

"Uh...no."

"What about in a different color?" Beast Boy gestured to an identical one beside it, with white painted wood and a bright pink canopy.

"That's too...castle in the clouds-y?" Raven attempted to match his vernacular.

"I see that," Beast Boy agreed, "not very _you_ , I guess."

"But this one," Raven pointed to a plain bamboo frame, "looks interesting."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, "very modest," he looked at the thin pallet atop it, "and uncomfortable."

"You know me," Raven said, straight-faced, "I don't like my beds to be extravagant. Just hard and minimalistic. Azar forbid I be too comfortable."

"You have to be careful," Beast Boy continued the joke. "or you might have a good night's sleep and not be strict and leader-y enough!"

"Or I might not be able to convince certain redheaded guests to leave."

"Oo," Beast Boy teased, "better not let Robin hear you!"

"You were the one saying he's an irritable dictator."

The two eyed each other, and then Beast Boy burst out laughing. Raven allowed herself a small smile.

"You got me," Beast Boy wiped a tear from his eye, "good thing he's not here."

"Excuse me," someone tapped Beast Boy on the shoulder from behind.

"AHHH!" Beast Boy jumped behind Raven, "he's HERE!"

"Um...you're the teen titans, correct?" The confused employee asked.

"Yes," Raven confirmed.

"Well," he gestured towards the man at the desk a few yards away, "my manager asked me to inform you that we can't fulfill your order."

"...what?"

"The bed you ordered," the man explained, "the company that makes them custom for us went out of business a while back, and we've run out of the ones we have in stock."

True, it _had_ been a rough few months for Raven's room, but she hadn't gone through that many beds, had she? Raven mentally ticked off the time Cinderblock threw a giant piece of cement into one of her room's supporting beams, the time Killer Moth's moths ate through her walls, the time they forgot to feed Silkie... Raven groaned.

"How long will it take you to find another place to make it?"

"Not sure," he shrugged, "what with the attack from Control Freak last week, we're still working on repairing the store," he glanced at the plastic sheeting at the side of the room, "not restocking on inventory."

Why were all of the villains they fought so intent on destroying everything? Maybe next time they had to fight someone, Raven would transport them all somewhere without any buildings.

"So what am I supposed to do until then?"

"Well," Beast Boy answered for the guy, "you could just pick out another one."

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Not like the ones we were joking with," Beast Boy clarified, "but a real one. You know, something you'd actually like?"

This was not how she wanted this errand to go. Quick, efficient - that was how Raven did her shopping. Not leisurely picking out furniture with her future offspring's other parent like some freakish odd couple. Not that either of them were freaks, of course. But, together? People loved them when they were acting in their capacity as an elite team of crime-fighters. But as real human and humanoid beings? She'd seen enough Jump City residents mock Beast Boy for his complexion, or Starfire for her unfamiliar eyes, or Cyborg for being half metal, not to mention what they said about her. Raven put up a strong, seemingly impenetrable front, and rarely cracked in public, but on the inside she harbored the same sentiments that her friends did. The same hidden desire to walk the streets and be viewed as 'normal'. If two titans were out together, doing something as mundane as seriously picking out furniture together, wouldn't they be mocked twofold? That was another reason Raven was so skeptical about Marie's claims. Why would she and Beast Boy want all of that attention drawn to them when they walked outside with their oddly colored hair and skin, and a little girl who looked like she couldn't possibly belong to them? How would Marie feel when she grew up? She was already able to communicate well - how long would it be until she realized the implications of being a part of such an unorthodox family?

"What do you think?" Beast Boy asked, "would that be ok?"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Of course!" Starfire held up her index finger, "The answer is 2 ^ 77,232,917 - 1. This is equal to the digits of 46733318-"

"Whoa! You don't need to say them all," Cyborg stopped her, looking up from the wires in the main ops control panels, "I believe you!"

"Glorious!" Starfire clapped her hands together, "then I believe it is my turn to do the asking of the question!"

"Sure," Cyborg made a few final tweaks to some wire connections on the motherboard, "Can you solder these for me first though?"

Starfire shot a quick beam from her eyes at the required location, heating the metal enough for Cyborg to stick them in permanent place.

"Ok," Cyborg fit the metal covering panels back in place and picked up a screwdriver to fasten them, "shoot."

"Hm..." Starfire tapped a finger on her chin, looking at the ceiling as if she hadn't had all of her questions decided upon well before the beginning of the game, "were you forced to do the deciding between marrying friend Bee or the Jinx, who is it that you would choose?"

"Uh...pass."

"Friend Cyborg," Starfire flew next to him, "were not the rules that we were each entitled to only one of the passes? Have you not used yours on my question regarding the eating of tofu versus the pudding of sadness?"

"Well, then I'm changing the rules," Cyborg started screwing in the thick steel nails.

"But the point of the game of truth-but-no-dare is to get to know each other the better! How may we do that if you are unwilling to do the playing of it?"

"Ugh," Cyborg grunted, twisting the screw tighter, "fine."

Starfire grinned, eagerly awaiting his answer.

"Jinx."

"Oo!" Starfire squealed, somersaulting mid-air in her excitement, "tell me-do you wish to do the dating and the marrying and the having of the babies-"

"Nah," Cyborg got started on the next screw, "it's not like that."

"Then, please," Starfire pushed, "tell me what it is like."

"Doesn't that count as another question?" Cyborg raised a brow.

"It is..." Starfire thought quickly, "merely a subquestion pertaining to the original inquiry. Part belfnax."

Cyborg assumed she meant 'b'.

"That sounds like cheating to me," Cyborg countered, "but I'll let you get away with it this time."

"The yay!"

"We just...hung out and stuff. Back at the Hive. We were just talking, and there was that dance...but, I mean, nothing happened. Maybe if I stayed there then it would've been different. But it wouldn't have worked out. We were on different sides. We couldn't have made it work. When you got different values," Cyborg finished up with the panel, "that doesn't make for a good relationship. You know?"

Starfire did not 'know'. On her planet, relationships were based upon who the strongest competitors for their significant other's heart was. Such fights were usually very rough and most likely painful. As a princess, and very young at the time of her...forcible departure, Starfire had never engaged. Still, the values on Tamaran were the same for all its people. Righteousness above valor, family above love, Tamaran before oneself. These were ideals that all Tamaraneans held dear. Except for Blackfire. But she was a rare breed. Cyborg did bring up a fascinating point though. Did she and Robin share the values? Perhaps she and Robin could do the discussing of this later.

"My turn," Cyborg started on the next section panel, lining it up with the holes on the console, "what is the square root of-"

"No!" Starfire waved the question away, "you must ask the more imaginative questions! You learn nothing by requiring me to answer the math problems. Besides," she picked an imaginary piece of lint off of her uniform and flicked it away, downplaying her next statement, "it is boring."

Cyborg laughed. Oh, how his high school's mathletes team would have loved her.

"Alright, alright," Cyborg complied, "let me think."

There was absolutely NOTHING Cyborg wanted to know about Starfire and Robin's relationship. He saw them full-on kiss that one time in Tokyo and a handful of times in the tower, and had no interest in being told anything more. So far, just during the course of this game, he had already learned that Raven was Starfire's dearest friend (after Robin, she had added), that she was able to calculate the square root of 8,956,736,208 faster than his computer brain could, that she really _did_ love Blackfire despite everything she'd done to her, that her birth name was Koriand'r, that she knew the largest prime numbers ever recorded just off the top of her head, and that her most embarrassing moment was when she mistook mutant-worm Beast Boy for Silkie one evening when she was tired and proceeded to feed, bathe, and tuck him into bed with her eyes half closed (she had made him promise to tell no one lest she roast him alive with her starbolts). What else did he want to know?

"So," Cyborg began, asking the first thing that came to him, "how do you think you and Robin decided on the name Ryan?"

He had expected an exuberant 'I do not know, but I cannot do the waiting to find out!', or at minimum a shrug of the shoulders. Instead, Starfire grew quiet, and floated over to the window. Her eyes went vacant as they stared out at the bay, clearly seeing something that Cyborg could not.

"Look, Star," Cyborg got up, brushing his hands off, "if you don't want to answer-that's ok. I can ask something else. Or we can st-"

"I have a brother."

Cyborg was not expecting that. What was wrong with having another sibling? Unless...was he worse than Blackfire?!

"Oh...uh...that's nice," Cyborg tried to give the appropriate response, "...right?"

"He was sent away when the Gordanians attacked Tamaran," she explained, still looking away, "to preserve the family line. I..." she swallowed, holding back tears, "I have not heard from him since."

As Starfire finished, taking time to compose herself, Cyborg's mind was buzzing with questions. Why weren't _all_ of the royal children sent away? Were Blackfire and Starfire old enough to fight? Or were they just unimportant? Was Tamaran so patriarchal that a princess' life meant less than a prince's? What exactly happened when the Gordanians attacked? He had definitely heard her mention it before, but she had never disclosed the full story. In fact, when he thought about it, he know all that much about Starfire's life before the titans. They'd spent time on her home planet, been guests at her palace, met the man who raised her, hosted and been attacked by her sister - yet they knew only a fragment of the picture that was Starfire's past. She appeared naive and eager to share her culture, dissuading any questions about her home before Earth by providing enough information that they felt they knew the basics of life on Tamaran, while really knowing nothing about Starfire's experience specifically. When it came to details, she had created a convenient narrative that incorporated only those most relevant details that could not be avoided, playing them off as thing she had merely 'forgot to mention'. Blackfire appears on their doorstep-'oh, did I not tell you that I had a sister?' Starfire starts randomly packing-'oh, I'm just getting ready to fly home and marry someone I've never met because, by the way, I'm a _princess_.' She treated the truth like a magician treated their tricks - only revealing the magic, but not the mechanics. She was, in truth, a master at her craft. None of the other titans were able to occlude their pasts while at the same time appearing to wholeheartedly embrace and share it. Cyborg was astounded by this personal realization, and curios, and very well aware that now was _not_ the time to press Starfire for more. She was sharing this previously unheard news about her brother with him, and that would have to satisfy.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Cyborg reached out and touched Starfire's shoulder, giving her a way out. She snapped out of her reverie and looked at Cyborg's hand before letting her eyes rise to his face.

"That will not be necessary," she declined, then gracefully packaged away whatever additional information she may have given, and said, simply, "his name was Ryand'r. Ryan is named for him. I am certain."

Smiling again, but without the usual glint in her eyes, she said, "it seems I must ask the new question."

"Yeah," Cyborg confirmed unsteadily, still visibly perturbed, "but maybe we sho-"

"How do you believe friends Beast Boy and Raven will do the getting together?"

Cyborg grinned, instantly forgetting his unease in the face of so juicy a hypothetical.

"Well, if I _had_ to guess..."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Beast Boy was relentless, and Raven was growing irritated. There were absolutely no beds that would do. She _told_ Beast Boy that they should just give up and get a mattress. Unfortunately, she said it a little too loudly and used the phrasing 'let's just get a mattress-we don't need a bed', which was said loudly enough that passersby had started looking at them and murmuring about whether or not the use of 'we' meant that they were a couple and saying all those things that Raven hated and Beast Boy could hear. Sometimes he hated having such sensitive hearing. He didn't blame Raven, but unlike her, he knew that she was going to be bitter about not having a bed frame, meaning that she would have to come back and face the unforgiving public again when she finally admitted that she wanted one. It would be easier and less painful to just get it over with now. As with most things Beast Boy was sure he was right about, he refused to back down.

"But there's a whole section we haven't looked at!" Beast Boy protested, literally dragging her towards the last of the aisles.

Raven silently glared daggers at him, each one piercing the thinning armor of his optimism. He had tried his luck for long enough. This time he'd be more deliberate.

"Wait here for a sec, ok?"

Beast Boy transformed into a falcon, sharp eyes scanning the remaining beds. Too plain...too bright...too ugly...oh! Beast Boy flew back to Raven, certain of his pick.

"I think I found something!" Beast Boy grabbed her hand giddily, further fueling the swirling rumors, "You're going to love it!"

Raven allowed herself to be taken to whatever supposedly amazing find Beast Boy had discovered. She had already resigned herself to sleeping on a disappointing mattress until a new manufacturer for her original bed could be found, so this was really just a complete waste of time. But she was feeling kind, so she would allow Beast Boy one more futile attempt to find something she'd like.

"Here it is!" Beast Boy stopped so suddenly that Raven almost bumped into him, then turned around to face her, blocking her view, "presenting the one, the only..."

"Get out of my way," Raven shoved him aside.

"Raven's new bed!" Beast Boy finished, using his arms to showcase.

"Nice try,," Raven rolled her eyes, before even giving it a chance, "but..."

And then she _saw_ it. The base of the frame was basic queen, but as her gaze trailed up to the headboard she was struck by the way the charcoal wood was distressed in a light greenish gray, carved into an intricate scene of thorned and twisting vines, off of which lush leaves extended, and upon which rested birds that looked distinctly like the one for which the empath was named. The scene extended far higher than the mattress, and, when placed against a wall, would certainly give the impression that the plants were growing straight out of the plaster, emerging from a forest in the next room. It was dark. It was unique. It was strange. It was...perfect.

Beast Boy smiled smugly, puffing out his chest, and threw an arm around Raven.

"See, honey," he squeezed her shoulders, playing up their audience's suppositions, "it's the perfect one for us!"

Raven stood stiffly.

"The only reason I haven't blasted you through the roof is that I don't want to damage it."

Knowing he was safe for the time being, Beast Boy decided to try his luck and threw his other arm around Raven, pulling her in for a hug.

"On second thought..."

Beast Boy was carefully moved away from the bed, and over to the unrepaired hole in the corner of the building...

"Uh oh..."

...then promptly thrown through it with the full force of Raven's abilities.

"Hey," Raven addressed the shocked employee nearest her, " _I'll_ take that one."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"No...it can't be that..." Robin murmured to himself as he ran through yet another scenario.

There were three things he was concerned with. One was figuring out how to get the kids back to wherever they came from. Two was figuring out who forced them here. Three was determining what extreme circumstances had led to their conception, creation in a lab...whatever the case may have been. The first was going to be more of a collaboration between himself and Cyborg, emphasis on Cyborg. The third, he had been working on, plotting out different ways each child might have resulted. So far the only remotely viable possibilities he'd come up with were a drunken night of spouse-swapping or two botched artificial insemination attempts, neither of which seemed likely. Figuring out who brought the kids here would require running a variety of complicated models that would attempt to determine if any registered criminal or superhero in their database matched the hand in the security footage when suitably aged. Which reminded him...

"Marie!" Robin asked over the loudspeaker, "how old are your parents?"

"I don't know," she replied, stopping whatever game she was playing with Ryan.

"Ryan? What about you?"

"I don't know either," he admitted reluctantly.

"Well, do you at least know what year it is?"

The kids looked at each other. These were not details they particularly cared about. And hadn't new years or something happened recently?

"Or what year you were born?"

Again, those dates were unimportant. Their days were not dictated by calendars, so the years were of no consequence. They weren't in that school thing the adults around them were always mentioning, where apparently there was something called a garden of ki...kings? Kangaroos? Something with a 'k' sound.

"No," Ryan answered again.

"Ugh!" Robin growled into the microphone, "don't you know _anything_?"

Ryan lowered his eyes.

"I'm four years old," Marie offered.

"Ok," at least they were getting _somewhere_ , "and Ryan?"

"I'm four an' a half," Ryan mumbled, staring at his feet.

"What? Robin asked again, "speak up!"

"HE'S FOUR AND A HALF!" Marie yelled, "IS THIS LOUD ENOUGH?"

"Yeah," Robin struggled to ignore the ringing in his ears, "thanks Marie. You can go back to your game."

Well, ages were better than nothing. Robin could work with that. If villains and his mentor and whatever else the universe could throw at him didn't interfere, then he would probably marry Starfire around age twenty. His mentor would be livid if he married before eighteen, and by the time he was twenty Starfire would be older than eighteen too, by Earth standards anyway. If that went well...given his fear of commitment...and his fear of having children, seeing as they were an even bigger form of commitment and would definitely dredge up past events that he would rather forget...at earliest maybe he'd have kids at twenty-five. But then, with Starfire's obvious love of children - would that push them back to twenty-three maybe? This was getting complicated. At least now he knew that they had different conception times. So that was something.

Robin turned back to his papers just in time to miss a jealous Ryan raise his tear-filled eyes and train them on Marie.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 17

"GRRRRRRRRRR..."

THUNK

"OWW! Get off me!"

BOOM

CRACK

Robin looked up from his papers. That didn't sound good. However, since he could hear them, that meant they hadn't left the room. Really, how much trouble could they get into in an empty box? Robin walked over to the window, ready to tell them to calm down over the loudspeaker.

"Oh no..."

Unfortunately, the answer was _a lot_.

Ryan had caught Marie off guard, so his claws had managed to pierce her shirt and draw blood. The black fabric was torn, and becoming damp with something dark and red-toned. Not good. Of course, equally as not good was the way Marie expelled a force that shoved Ryan into the far wall, audibly cracking something. Possibly his skull. Whatever his injuries might have been, Ryan reacted quickly, flying over Marie as an eaglet then falling out of the sky as a little hippo. Well, little compared to full-size hippos. But definitely far larger than Marie. She created a shield just in time, and Ryan, back in boy form, tumbled off of it. Wasting no time, she swaddled him in dark energy and started throwing him around like a rag doll, smacking him into the different walls. Robin noticed, with no small amount of unease, that the scene was _very_ similar to when the child's mother had attacked Slade upon his bringing news of her father's intention to fulfill the prophecy set at Raven's birth. Until that point, the Titans had not realized the extent of what Raven was capable of. She had seemed a competent fighter, able to wield her powers with skill and only occasionally go overboard. But even then, it was her powers that got out of hand, taking on a life of their own. But seeing her ram Slade's limp body into every edge of that chamber, using the barest minimum of her power to simply pick him up, as she did rocks, or cars, or lampposts, moving them aside to aid pedestrians or throwing them in combat, was the most terrifying thing that Robin had ever seen her do. Raven had told them that she'd grown up learning to control her emotions so that her powers wouldn't destroy everything around her. As a result, she possessed a great deal of control. But if she had decided to join Trigon? If she one day grew tired of battling for good? If she got angry enough? This control meant that she could enact an extreme degree of pain and destruction, not just generally, but on any specific object, or _person_ , she set her mind to. This was what made Raven dangerous. And what Robin was seeing in the room below was exactly what his worst fear for her was. He had been under the impression that Marie and Ryan had been taught no control. That their powers were rough and untamed. But the picture he was seeing here was a very different one. Yes, they certainly had a ways to go. Marie's emotional outbursts and Ryan's bath incident before were proof enough of that. But the attacks they had used on each other reflected time spent practicing their skills. But they were still kids, so their sparring was probably limited to the gym. Unfortunately, this appeared to mean that, when Marie _was_ in control, she posed a very real threat. She was a little girl with command of lethal powers, but a child's understanding of what the impact would be if she used them. Robin made up his mind. First, he had to save Ryan. But after that? His next priority was teaching Marie the discipline she needed to stop herself from going too far in her attacks. The rage with which she was attacking Ryan was something Robin was familiar with. He himself was apt to get carried away when he felt he was being wronged. Perhaps it was genetic.

"STOP!" Robin called over the loudspeaker, banging on the glass, "PUT HIM DOWN!"

Marie was not expecting to be spoken to, and, in her shock at being addressed, she dropped Ryan and turned to the window, looking curiously at Robin.

"I'm coming down there," Robin informed her, "DON'T MOVE."

He raced down to the entrance and swung the door open, rushing over to Ryan, who appeared to have sustained multiple breaks and fractures to his arms and legs, not to mention his head. He was already unconscious, which was good as far as not feeling pain went, but extremely bad if he had a concussion.

"Ryan? Can you you open your eyes?" Robin tried, but there was no response.

Shoot. Robin whipped out his communicator.

"Robin calling Raven! This is an emergency!"

The screen buzzed with static for a moment before someone picked up.

"Hey Robin!" Beast Boy's smiling face filled the screen, "Raven's busy at the moment," he shifted his own communicator to reveal a very angry looking Raven carrying three industrial fans and a giant box on the energy platform Beast Boy was currently lounging on, "but I'm happy to help," he shone his toothy grin.

"Just tell her to get back here, _now_."

Beast Boy's expression grew concerned, "Wha-"

Robin hung up, calling Cyborg instead.

"Hey Rob," Cyborg greeted him distractedly, working on something off-screen, "kids doing ok?"

"See for yourself," Robin tilted the communicator so Cyborg could see Ryan.

Cyborg dropped what he was doing.

"I'll meet you in the med bay."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

By the time Beast Boy and Raven arrived, Ryan was already hooked up to a bunch of machines monitoring Ryan's heart rate and breathing, which appeared rather shallow. Starfire sat behind him, clutching his hand to her wet cheek, with Robin beside her and Cyborg at the computer checking vitals.

"Everyone get back," Raven pushed past the small crowd, "I need to focus."

The kid was a mess. This was going to take a lot out of her. How did it even...she caught a glance at Marie on the other side of the room. A wave of emotion gripped the empath, but she held it back. It wouldn't be helpful to Ryan if she destroyed the med bay.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos," she centered herself, "azarath, metrion, zinthos," then, the glowing in her hands began, and she worked carefully to repair the damage most likely wrought by Marie. But she couldn't focus on that now.

Robin, however, could.

"Whoa..." Beast Boy finally spoke, "what...what _happened_?"

"She did," Robin looked towards Marie, who sat, curling into herself, in the corner, "one second, the kids were playing, and then, out of nowhere, she started throwing him into walls," Robin turned to Beast Boy, "and it's _your_ fault."

"What? How is this my fault?" Beast Boy was taken aback.

"If you had actually taught Marie to have some discipline, she wouldn't have tried to kill Ryan!" Robin stepped between Beast Boy and Ryan's bed.

"She wasn't trying to kill him!" Beast Boy defended.

"You weren't there!"

"And you probably weren't watching them!" Beast Boy poked Robin in the chest.

"I was!" Robin hit his hand away angrily.

"You did a crummy job then! No one got hurt when me and Raven were there!"

"She wouldn't be the first kid to misbehave when her parents were gone," Robin folded his arms.

"People don't attack out of nowhere! Ryan must have done something to upset her!"

"If you had taught her any discipline," Robin countered, "then she'd know not to abuse her powers when people make her angry!"

"How could you have any idea what we taught her? She's from the _future_!" Beast Boy yelled.

"I don't need to travel into the future to know that you'd make an incompetent parent!" Robin shot back, walking towards Beast Boy and pushing his chest, "You barely have any discipline yourself! You stay up until all hours, you never take anything seriously, you don't clean up after yourself - you weren't even responsible enough to keep a pet! What kind of an example is that? No wonder Marie is the way she is. She's been raised by _you_!"

Beast Boy was in shock. He and Robin had never had the best relationship. Video games were the only thing they did that didn't include the entire team, and even then it was never one-on-one. They were just...different. Not that he and Raven were oh-so-similar. But at least she was funny. And didn't treat him like he was worthless. Robin, on the other hand, was really ticking him off. Who did this guys think he _was_? Beast Boy wasn't always the best roommate, but he took his role seriously. He could be just as good a leader as Robin - if not better. Need Robin be reminded of that time he lead _all the titans_ against the Brotherhood of Evil? Beast Boy was awesome, when the need arose. But, here in Jump City? Forgive him for being a little more chill.

"You want to see discipline?" Beast Boy asked, "I'll show you discipline."

Before Robin could respond, Beast Boy transformed, arms growing more muscular, fangs growing larger, hair covering his body, and, in an instant, the Beast was before them.

"Beast Boy!" Robin was forced to step back as the large creature lowered his face to Robin's, "This isn't funny!"

Beast Boy snarled, baring his sharp teeth and flaring his nostrils, as if to let forth a great howl and strike his leader across the face. Instead, after a moment, he expelled a moist and musky breath and turned back into his usual self.

"That," Beast Boy said, as he walked over to Marie and picked her up, "is what discipline looks like."

He left the room, not even bothering to slam the door behind him.

Robin scoffed.

"Really, guys?" He turned to his other teammates, "none of you wanted to say anything? He just turned into the _Beast_! He could have endangered us all!"

"Newsflash Robin," Raven informed him, not looking up from her work, "I'm a little busy."

"And the Beast hasn't ever really hurt us, man," Cyborg added from his spot at the computer.

"He saved friend Raven," Starfire said softly.

"Heart rate's improving," Cyborg stated, "keep up the good work, Rae."

She nodded.

"So...Ryan will be the ok?" Starfire asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," Cyborg smiled at the unconscious boy, "he's a strong kid, and we have an expert doctor in the house," Raven rolled her eyes, "I think he'll pull through just fine."

Starfire smiled halfheartedly, "I do hope so."

Robin was less focused on what he viewed as an assured recovery, and more on the perceived mutiny of his team.

"I'm getting back to my research."

Starfire furrowed her brows.

"But, boyfriend Robin," she gestured towards Ryan, "would you not like to stay and ensure the recovery of our bumgorf?"

"You heard Cyborg," Robin headed for the door, "he'll be fine."

Starfire winced at the sound of the door closing behind him.

"Aren't you...going to follow him?" Raven asked, quizzically.

"No," Starfire shook her head, "I am in need of the space. And more of the important," Starfire kneeled beside Raven, stroking Ryan's soft hair, "I have a bumgorf that is in need of my attention."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Another bumgorf was also in need of attention, which Beast Boy was doing his best to provide.

"I can't believe him!" Beast Boy growled, holding Marie close as he walked down the hall, "he thinks _he's_ such a great parent? He's been completely avoiding you guys! Bet he's a terrible dad in the future too," he grumbled.

He felt Marie stiffen at his tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he shifted her so that he could see her face, "Rob-I mean, uh, Uncle Robin is just...the worst...sometimes..."

She nodded, wiping at her eyes, "I know."

"Do you?" Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"Mommy says that he loves us but is bad at showing it."

"Maybe in the future..."

"What's few-true?"

"Oh..." Beast Boy had forgotten that the kids weren't aware of their situation, "uh, don't worry about it."

Marie gave Raven's eyebrow raise of disapproval.

"I'm gonna ask Mommy."

"Yeah," Raven would probably come up with a better response anyway, "you do that."

They had reached the living room, where the fans and bed-box had been dumped. Beast Boy hadn't really stopped to look around before, but it was actually looking pretty sweet! Cyborg had outdone himself - and, he assumed, Starfire. Oh, Beast Boy frowned, they were still missing that new monitor and gaming system though. He and Cyborg never got around to shopping for that the day before. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marie heading towards the kitchen, with its brand new cabinets and sink and fridge...he wasn't ready to lose all that again. Not this quickly, anyway.

"Hey!" He cried, distracting her, "you wanna help me with something?"

"Yeah!" Marie ran over to him, excited by the prospect.

"How's about you help me set up these fans in my room?"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"All done," Raven finally got off of her knees, stretching out her cramped legs, "he should still rest for a while, but the worst of his injuries are healed."

"Thank you," Starfire smiled, not taking her gaze off of Ryan.

"Nice job, Rae," Cyborg agreed.

Raven nodded in acknowledgement.

"If you need me, I'm going to be in my room," she turned to go.

"Wait," Starfire flew over to Raven, "I want you to do the knowing that I am not in agreement with Robin," Starfire placed her hands on Raven's shoulders, and Raven tried her best not to shudder, "I do not think that you and the future Beast Boy are bad at the child rearing. I believe that Beast Boy is correct. Marie would not fight unless something did the upsetting of her," she smiled reassuringly, "I will do the taking of the truth from Ryan, and together, we shall find the correct sequence of the events."

"Thanks," Raven tried to go, but Starfire held her in place, "um...is there something else?"

"I know that the shirt friend Cyborg gave to Marie said she was the 'half evil'. But _you_ are not evil. So Marie is also not of the evil."

"Uh...ok..." Raven wasn't sure where this was going.

"Friend Raven, I...I feel that you do not have the knowledge of this, and that Robin's words may have led you to think otherwise," Starfire took a deep breath before continuing, trying to make the words count, "but you are a most wonderful friend, a most wonderful _sister_ , to both me and our friends, and we are all most grateful that you are in our lives."

Raven blushed.

"We love you, Raven," Starfire explained, breaking it down for her, "and you-and Marie-are very, _very_ deserving of this love," Starfire paused, "does that make the sense?"

Raven was silent for a moment, then mumbled a quiet, "...yeah."

Starfire didn't wait for further confirmation, but pulled Raven into a tight hug.

"Aww," Cyborg watched from across the room, "let me in on some a' that," and bounded over, throwing his arms around the girls, "I love ya'll too."

He gave them a hard squeeze before Raven started to protest.

"Ok, this has to stop," the group hug broke, "but...thanks," she stepped towards the door, then stopped, looking over her shoulder, "I...uh...love you too."

The empath disappeared into a black portal, and Cyborg and Starfire looked after her, stunned.

"What just did the happening?" Starfire asked, dazed.

"I...I think Raven said she loved us."

"Then we...have done the breaking of the shell? Or the destruction of the wall of ice that you claim surrounds her heart?"

"I guess?" Cyborg regained control."Or," he joked, "maybe motherhood's making her soft."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

If Raven was softened, then Robin was definitely hardened by fatherhood. He knew that getting the kids home would be a long shot, so he had determined that, for the foreseeable future, they would be permanent fixtures in his home. Based on today's events, that meant that they were going to need a lot more training. Sure, they were both around four, but that didn't mean they shouldn't be expected to control themselves. Especially Marie. If today was any indication, Marie was far stronger, and thus more dangerous than Ryan. Much like his perception of the original Beast Boy and Raven. For now, he wouldn't bother with Ryan. If he knew anything about himself, it was that any child he had agreed to raise as his own would be subject to the most rigorous of standards. That, plus his weakness, meant that he was a minimal risk. Starfire would have to deal with him while Robin focused on Marie. His had a feeling that he'd be able to get through to her. Far more than Beast Boy, at least. She had his DNA, after all, and some things were simply genetic. Robin pushed his research aside. Now was the time for a training curriculum.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 18

Raven hadn't thought that her concerns about Marie would be validated quite so quickly. Hearing Robin talk about what she did to Ryan though...in what was most likely just a childish fight over nonsense...it was exactly what she had predicted. Her future self had definitely worked with Marie - the evidence was there in that she was able to contain her powers in the face of raised voices and the sight of Ryan's injuries - but the child still had a long way to go. And Ryan... Raven was just glad she and Beast Boy got back in time. If she hadn't - would Starfire ever forgive her? It wasn't like Raven had actually done anything in the present, but if future Raven's daughter killed Starfire's son, in whatever time period, didn't that mean that it was ultimately Raven's fault? If she had never existed, then Marie would never have been born, and Ryan would have been fine. Of course, she knew that there were a million other variables to take into account when considering the future, but still - the argument could easily be made. On a grander scale, Ryan's life was only one of many that Raven's existence had threatened. Usually, when one person threatens the lives of others, they're shunned and locked away, not so differently than she was on Azarath - if you count being forced to meditate and study self-control for hours away from everyone else being locked away. When the line is drawn between good and evil, that kind of thing definitely falls into the latter category. Mumbo Jumbo attacking a bank? Bad. Cinderblock destroying public property? Bad. Neither of these necessarily implies that people will be seriously hurt. They're minor offenses, in the scheme of things. Misdemeanors. Still, there's no question in anyone's mind as to how they should be categorized. But Slade threatening to kill someone? That's a lot more serious. Bad doesn't begin to describe it. Evil, though - that was an adjective that certainly applied. So how was Raven, aiding in the destruction of the whole dimension, any better? The same word could - _should_ be applied. Even if such offenses were forgiven, on the understanding that she was an unwilling participant, could the label be removed? She possessed a power that, if uncontrolled, was still a major threat to the city if not the surrounding areas, which, if she were honest, she could make quick work of if she so chose. Was someone with a dangerous chemical, like Red X or Professor Chang with their xenothium, considered harmless, or _good_ , just because they didn't use it? It was the fact that they had it at all that made them felons. Raven was nothing more than a ticking time bomb. She was evil, by her very being. And so was Marie. So how, knowing all of that, could Starfire say that she _wasn't_? And how could Cyborg, or anyone, agree with her? It boggled Raven's mind. Were they dull? Were they so deep in denial that they couldn't see what she really was? Except that they _did_ know. They had seen what she was capable of, and they hadn't wavered in their beliefs. They didn't even blame Marie for what she did to Ryan. They said that she and Marie were good, and that they were happy they were in their lives - that they _loved_ them. How had Raven managed to find friends that were so delusional? So blind? So...nice to her? Friends that knew exactly what to say when Robin shouted out every insecurity she had and claimed that they were true about Marie, and, by association, her? Of course she loved them. But curse them for making her say it.

These were the thoughts that consumed Raven as she put her new bed together, in the relative calm of her room. It was peaceful, being in a place that was so uncluttered, with no one running around and ruining things. Would their lives ever go back to normal? It had barely been forty-eight hours and already she was sick of parenthood. And her new co-parents. Specifically Robin. There was something going on with him, and Raven didn't need to be an empath to sense it. She did not, however, understand why he blamed everything on Beast Boy. Beast Boy, who had never babysat, let alone raised any children, and had none of the powers that Marie used in her attack. Robin should have been verbally assaulting Raven, not him. Or at least the both of them. He had basically implied that future Beast Boy was the only one responsible for Marie. Wasn't she supposed to be the kid's mother? Or did everyone think she was so cold as to intentionally have a child just to ignore them? If anything, Marie's lack of control or abuse of her powers was Raven's responsibility, not Beast Boy's. How could he instruct her in harnessing powers he had no experience with? This had to be something personal. Did Beast Boy do something to anger him, or was he just still upset about the genetics of the kids? Either way, his reaction was completely unwarranted. Raven would have to speak to him about it. The team wouldn't be able to function with such intense animosity between teammates. Especially Beast Boy and Robin. Or Robin and Cyborg. Or Robin and Starfire. Ok, so Robin and _anyone_. Their leader wasn't great at compartmentalizing when it came to his personal and professional lives. Obviously - the guy never even took his mask off.

Raven was still lost in thought when a light knock came on her door, and a quiet voice asked, "Mommy?"

Raven used her dark energy to tuck the last of her sheets under the mattress before walking towards the entryway.

"Yes?"

Marie rushed into her as soon as the door slid open, clinging to Raven's legs and hiding in her cape.

"We finished making Daddy's fans," she mumbled into Raven's knees.

The empath pulled her cloak back so she could see the child inside.

"Uh...good for you."

Raven tried to step away, but Marie hugged Raven more tightly, preventing her from moving.

"Can you...let go of me now?" She tried, as gently as possible, to remove Marie's arms from around her.

"I think she needs some TLC."

"Huh?" Raven looked up to see Beast Boy outside her open doorway.

"Tender love and care," he defined the acronym, then stepped forward, "permission to enter?"

Raven looked from Beast Boy to Marie. It seemed her alone time was over.

"Fine. Just don't touch anything."

"I won't," Beast Boy crossed the threshold, not bothering to joke. He had tried to keep Marie talking while they worked on the fans, which, combined with his difficulties with mechanics, was a struggle. Now, he was just drained.

"So, TLC," Raven took the lead in their conversation, "what does that stand for?"

"Tender love and care," Beast Boy responded, "it means, like, giving hugs and saying everything's ok and stuff."

Raven blinked.

"Ok..." she gingerly patted Marie's back and said, matter-of-factly, "everything's ok."

"You didn't even try."

"I did what you said," Raven defended herself.

"That wasn't a hug and you know it," Beast Boy retorted, "here," he lifted Marie, forcing her to relinquish her hold on Raven, and held her up so she could wrap her arms around Raven's neck. He then let go, so Raven was forced to wrap her arms around Marie so she didn't fall.

"Now," Beast Boy continued, "rub her back."

Raven attempted another weak pat.

"Why do you always make things so difficult?" Beast Boy walked over to Raven and put his own hand on Marie's back, rubbing in firm but gentle circles, "now you."

Part of Raven wanted to keep being stubborn. Being a crummy caregiver would reaffirm her belief that she should never have children, and prevent her from developing any attachment to this girl who should not exist. If she didn't try to be a mother to Marie, then she could remain in denial about the whole situation and continue acting as the reluctant babysitter. But it had been two days, and it was becoming clear that the kids weren't going anywhere. Not soon, anyway. She couldn't rely on just Beast Boy and Starfire to do all of the hard work. Especially when they didn't have Robin. Cyborg she let slide. Like he said, these weren't his kids. There wasn't a choice, really. She was going to have to suck it up and do this.

Raven took a deep breath and imitated Beast Boy's movements.

"That's it!" Beast Boy grinned, gaining a semblance of his usual demeanor.

"There, there?" She tried to add some minorly comforting words.

Beast Boy frowned.

"Uh...nice try," Beast Boy took Marie from Raven's arms, "but it should be more like _this_."

Raven watched as he swayed the little girl back and forth, speaking softly into her ear, saying things like "sh, it's ok," and "Daddy's got you". She couldn't remember anyone ever picking her up or holding her to their chest when she was that age. Or ever, really. She was taught to be self-sufficient. Beast Boy was lucky. For the first time, Raven found herself becoming envious of him. Of _Beast Boy_. What was her life coming to that she wanted anything that Beast Boy had? And when was the last time Beast Boy was able to do something _she_ couldn't?! She shook her head.

"Ok," Raven motioned for Beast Boy to hand Marie over, "I can do this."

Marie buried her face into Raven's shoulder and bunched the cloth of her cape into one hand, holding onto it like a security blanket. Raven tried to ignore the way the girl's hair tickled her chin. It was weird having someone so close to her for so extended a period of time. Sure, she'd carried Timmy and Teether before, but they weren't so...clingy. This kid had her whole body wrapped around her like a backwards backpack. Raven swallowed her discomfort.

"Sh," she started with the easy intro Beast Boy had given her, "it's ok."

Beast Boy smiled weakly, "stealing my lines?"

Raven scowled, then cleared her throat.

"Don't worry," she tried again, "I'm here."

"I love you Mommy," came a muffled voice.

Ugh. Why was everyone being so mushy today?

"Good to know," her natural callousness returned to her, an automatic defense mechanism.

Beast Boy's eyes widened and he made a throat-cutting gesture telling her that this was the _wrong_ thing to say.

"Say it back!" He whispered furiously.

"I...loveyoutoo." Raven tried to say it as quickly and quietly as she could. Twice in one day? She supposed she'd have to get used to it if Marie was going to keep getting upset.

"And give her a kiss!" Beast Boy added in the same strained volume.

Raven sighed, but gave a quick peck to the back of the child's head.

"There, happy?" She whispered back.

"Very."

Marie started fidgeting, which Raven took as a good sign. Never one to put things off, she figured that now was as good a time as any to get Marie's side of the story.

"So, Marie," Raven addressed the child in a tone that was more business than reassurance, "can you tell me what happened with Ryan today?"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Daddy asked a question," Ryan explained, as Starfire stroked his little hand, "an' I didn't know the answer, an' he yelled at me and said I didn't know anything, an' then he asked another question, an' Marie answered and he was nice to her but when I answered he yelled at me. It wasn't _fair_!" his eyes teared up, begging Starfire to understand, "I answered _too_! An' I was mad, so I jumped on Marie and...we were...fighting..." he rubbed his head, struggling to remember the details.

Starfire nodded, somber, and ran her thumb down his cheek.

"It is ok, my bumgorf. You have done the good job," she smiled at him, "now," she readjusted his pillow and gently laid him down, "you are tired, and must do the resting so you may have the full recovery," she kissed his forehead and smoothed his hair once more, "sleep well, Ryan. Do not let the yarklimps do the chomping!"

Cyborg shut off the lights in Ryan's section of the med bay.

"Poor little guy," Cyborg shook his head, "he's had a rough day."

"He has," Starfire agreed sadly.

They watched Ryan as his breaths evened, until it was clear that he was sleeping.

"Should we get out of here and let him sleep?" Cyborg asked, "I'll stay with you if you want to keep watchin' him though," he offered.

"Actually," Starfire turned to him, "I was hoping that you could do me the favor."

"Sure thing," he answered, "what is it?"

"Perhaps," Starfire looked back at Ryan, who was shifting in his sleep, "we should go somewhere we might not disturb Ryan," her eyes trailed to the door, "or be overheard."

Cyborg nodded.

"My room? Don't get a lot of visitors there, 'specially after BB gave me that computer virus. Think he's scared he'll do somethin' else to me if he ever goes in there again."

"That sounds most satisfactory."

Starfire and Cyborg walked in silence, both too exhausted to make small-talk. When they arrived at his room, Cyborg checked the hall to make sure no one was headed their way.

"Alright, Star," he closed the door, "what's up?"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"...then Uncle Robin was yelling and then Daddy took me to make the fans," Marie finished.

"That sounds like self-defense to me!" Beast Boy smiled, as if the verdict lessened the seriousness of her actions.

Raven glared at him.

"I understand that Ryan hurt you, but that doesn't mean you should hurt him back," Raven told her, "you have powers that you need to control. If you don't, you could hurt somebody. Like how you hurt Ryan today."

"But I didn't _mean_ it," Marie insisted.

"That doesn't mean it's ok."

"Yeah," Beast Boy tried to back her up, "like if I touched Ra-Mommy's" Raven cringed, "stuff," he picked a book off of Raven's desk, "it's not ok, but she shouldn't hu-"

Raven didn't wait for him to finish, but ripped the book out of his hands in a sleeve of blackness and whacked him in the head before restoring it to its place.

"Ow!" Beast Boy cried, "we're trying to set an _example_ , Raven!"

"And _I_ told you not to touch my things," Raven shrugged, "you knew what the consequences would be."

"Marie," Beast Boy tried to repair the broken message, "you see what just happened? That was _not_ ok. So if someone hurts you or touches your stuff, you should _not_ hu-"

"But it _is_ your stuff," Marie corrected him.

"What? No it's not," Beast Boy responded, confused.

"But you share everything!" Marie held her arms wide, almost smacking an annoyed Raven in the face, gesturing to the room, "like your games and your books and your comics and your bed-"

"Eww!" Beast Boy screeched, then realized that he might have offended, and amended, "...but I'm sure someone else...I mean...plenty of guys probably...uh..." Raven raised an eyebrow at him, "...never mind," he stared sheepishly at the ground.

"Since we're talking about it," Beast Boy's eyes grew wide, "it might be time for you to go to bed," then relaxed, "you've had a busy day - aren't you tired?"

Beast Boy checked his communicator, "But it's only-"

"Even I have heard of naps, Beast Boy."

"Oh, hehe," Beast Boy chuckled embarrassedly.

"But I don't wanna!" Marie whined, banging her fists into Raven's shoulder.

"Ow..."

"Marie!" Beast Boy scolded, pulling her off of Raven, "that was _not_ nice!"

"But-"

"No buts!" He waved a dismissive finger, "now apologize to your mother!"

Raven shuddered. Did he have to keep using those terms?

"Sorry," Marie bowed her head.

"You're forgiven."

"Now," Beast Boy picked Marie up again, walking towards Raven's bed, "let's get you tucked in."

"Beast Boy," Raven said, as if he were making the most obvious mistake in the world, "that's my bed."

"Yeah," he agreed, "and I'm putting Marie down for a nap in it."

"But she has her own bed. In _your_ room."

"My room's still airing out," he shrugged, "and," he admitted reluctantly, "my sheets aren't exactly clean."

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Fine. She can sleep here for now," Raven allowed, irritated, "hopefully she won't be like you and touch my things."

"Hey!" Beast Boy retorted, "I touched something _one_ time!"

Raven scowled. They both knew that was a lie.

"And anyway," he flipped the tables, "I believe it was YOU that broke everything in your room _and_ in the living room yesterday!"

Raven glowered.

"You know why that happened!"

"And YOU know that I break way less things than you!"

"Need I mention the T-car, the microwave, a priceless set of crystals, the remote, Cyborg - "

"That's not fair!" Beast Boy yelled, "it's not my fault that-"

"STOP!" Marie shouted, silencing them both, "I don't like when you do that."

"Huh?"

The two titans looked at each other, then back at Marie.

"What?" Beast Boy asked, "argue?"

"When you fight," Marie clarified, "I don't like it."

"Because...you...don't like loud noises?" Raven guessed.

"You don't like seeing me beat Raven, since I'm such an awesome arguer?"

"Inaccurate."

"You get really loud and then Mommy makes things fly and Daddy gets mad and one of you leaves and then you don't talk to each other and Daddy sleeps in my other bed and-"

"Whoaaa," Beast Boy threw his hands up to stop her.

"That's...a lot of information."

"So," Beast Boy's features became softer, "are you saying that...your mom and I fight a lot?"

Marie nodded.

"I mean..." Raven looked at Beast Boy, "it makes sense. We don't exactly have the smoothest relationship now."

"Relatio-"

"Friendship," she amended, "I think you'd know if we were in an actual relationship."

"Oh, yeah," Beast Boy smiled cheekily, before reverting to his former expression of concern, "so we, uh, probably don't have a great marriage then."

Raven stared at him incredulously.

"Are we really talking about this now?" Raven asked, "it's completely irrelevant. I have absolutely no interest in being anything more than what we are right now, and as far as I was aware," she added, "you still aren't over Terra."

"Yeah..." he conceded, "I guess that's true."

"Good," Raven affirmed, "glad we're on the same page. So Marie saying that we're married in the future affects nothing. It probably won't even happen."

Beast Boy nodded. She had a point. He went to sleep every night hoping that the next day, he'd wake up to a rock hitting his window. It would be Terra outside, telling him that she remembered him and wanted to stay with him forever. He fantasized that she'd hold out her hand, asking him to come with her, and redo their first date so that, this time, it wouldn't be interrupted by Slade or lies or betrayal. They'd just be two teens in love, enjoying themselves at a carnival on the pier, instead of that deserted fair they went to the first time. He'd win her a giant chicken at one of the game booths - ideally the one with the mallet that tests your strength so he could show her how incredibly manly he was - and then he'd buy her popcorn and cotton candy and they'd totally avoid that creepy house of mirrors. They'd go on the carousel and he'd make her laugh by turning into a horse like the ones on the ride, and then moreso when a random kid would accidentally mistake him for one of the fake ones and be terrified when he moved on his own. Then they'd go on the Ferris wheel, and they'd have their first, uninterrupted kiss as the fireworks exploded overhead, and then they'd go home and spend a while at their favorite spot by the water at the edge of the island, just talking and laughing and skipping stones. Maybe there would even be a second kiss. Then, like a total gentleman, he'd walk her inside - all the way to her room - and kiss her hand and thank her for an amazing evening and tell her that they should totally do it again the next day. And when he woke up in the morning, she'd be in the kitchen with all the others, teasing him about sleeping so late, and challenge him to a racing game, and life would be...well...perfect.

He never thought that way about Raven. His only hope for them was that she'd laugh at his jokes more often and open up a little more. He loved it when he got her to smile - laughing was just a bonus. It had only ever happened a handful of times. And he really enjoyed joking with her - when she was in a joking mood. She was funny, too. Usually at his expense, but even as he scowled and tried to defend himself, he still had to admit that she could be entertaining. They also had this rare ability hurt, or at least, seem to hurt - as in the case of the Beast's first appearance - each other, and then have a super intense moment where they comforted each other and then something ruined it. That something being Beast Boy. They had a unique relationship, that was for sure. But each titan friendship was different. He wouldn't say that he had the same relationship with Cyborg as he had with Starfire. Each was awesome in their own way. Cyborg was his best friend, Starfire was fun and bubbly - that didn't mean he wanted to _date_ them. The same applied to Raven. But then...why were they married with a kid in future? Maybe it was some sort of prank gone wrong. Or a bet he made with Cy or something. Not that Raven would go along with either. Maybe there was some apocalypse and the titans were the only people left and Cyborg wasn't available and Robin and Star were together so it was just him and Raven left so they had no choice but to get married! Then again, it's not like they had any kids together, so that also seemed flawed. Oh! Or maybe there was some weird new law where everyone over a certain age had to get married and, again, he and Raven were the only people left...

Beast Boy's eyes glazed over as he considered the numerous, but highly improbably ways that he and Raven might have been forced together.

Raven was unbothered by his silence, and honestly didn't care enough to investigate it. Instead, she pulled down the covers so Marie could get in and pulled them back up to her chin. Marie stared behind her at the pretty carvings on the new bed frame, her eyes almost rolling back completely as she strained them to look. Raven followed her gaze.

"You...like my new bed?"

"It's not new," Marie yawned, the comfort of the cloth getting to her, "that's just you and Daddy's bed."

She curled up under the covers, closing her eyes.

"'Night Mommy."

Raven didn't respond. The bed had always been there? That meant...was Starfire wrong? She told Raven that the future could be changed, yet here Raven was, having just picked out a bed Marie claimed she'd had forever...did that mean that they were headed in the direction of a future where Marie and Ryan actually existed. Her and Beast Boy...really? She looked over her shoulder at the still zoned-out teen.

"Maybe...aliens...gunpoint..." he muttered.

She rolled her eyes. Yeah, definitely _not_ ending up with Beast Boy.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"So...you think that you and Robin might not have compatible DNA?"

"We are the different species. I believe it would be the odd should we discover that we could reproduce successfully."

"Makes sense to me," Cyborg nodded, "so you want me to test that theory? Mess around with some of your DNA strands and his and see if they'll connect and all that?"

"If it would not be too much of the trouble."

"Yeah," Cyborg rubbed his chin, "I think I could do that."

"Also," Starfire added, "I would like you to do the testing of Ryan to tell if he is fully Tamaranean."

"Huh?" Cyborg scratched his head, "wouldn't he be half human if Beast Boy contributed his DNA to make the little guy?"

"I do not believe so," Starfire conjectured, "I suggest that the reason for the use of Beast Boy's DNA is due to his transformative abilities."

"Uh huh," Cyborg prodded, intrigued.

"So, when combined with a different species, his DNA might do the merging with the DNA of the other organism and exhibit their characteristics."

Cyborg loved it when people talked science with him. It happened so rarely in the tower, and if it did, it was usually him explaining things to his teammates, not the other way around. He welcomed the unexpected change.

"That idea's not half bad, Star," he smiled, then frowned, "doesn't explain what's up with Marie though."

"Allow us to do the taking of one foot at a time," Starfire patted his shoulder, "surely, in time, the answer shall become clear to us."

Cyborg still had a ton of questions. Why didn't Rob and Star just adopt? Make a clone of one of them? There were definitely more options. Why did they have to do...this? Instead of asking these things, Cyborg decided to take Starfire's advice. One step at a time. They'd see if her hypothesis was even right first. Then they'd go from there.

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed, "I'm sure it will."


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 19

"Titans - main ops room, NOW."

Robin shut his communicator. A number of serious changes were going to be made, and he needed to inform them. Though he had started with a simple training schedule, it became clear to him that this would only address a small portion of the overall issues they were facing. Marie and Ryan were out of control, partly due to the future titans' dubious parenting and the current titans' inexperience, but also due to a lack of something Robin believed in with every atom of his being; a strict schedule, clear-cut rules, and an established division of tasks. As leader, it was Robin's duty to ensure that their missions were completed effectively, efficiently, and with as minimal damage to people and property as possible. He achieved these goals with the same approach. The titans trained on a regular, set basis, adhered to the expectation that Robin's commands were to be followed, and performed different, specified roles when executing coordinated attacks in battle or attempting to locate escaped criminals. Marie and Ryan may have been young, but that didn't mean that the same tactics would not work to provide them, not to mention the titans, a bit of structure in the confusing and ambiguous situation they were in. Robin knew that he might be met with resistance, but he was sure that his teammates would come to understand that this was the only way for them to address the issues they'd been having. And if they didn't? Everyone was well aware that Robin's word was the final one. After all, he was their leader.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Sorry Star," Cyborg looked up from his seat in the med bay, where he was prepping Petri dishes from his stash of titan DNA, "guess we'll have to finish this later."

The first time they'd gotten into a fight that caused injuries - the kind that even Raven's healing power couldn't handle - Cyborg had insisted that everyone provide him with a few different types of cells, in addition to blood bags. With their unique genetics, going to a normal hospital might do them more harm than good. Treating Starfire like a human, when her physiology was that of a completely different species, or Beast Boy with his unstable DNA, not to mention Cyborg himself with his hybrid human and mechanical parts - would likely end in disaster. Having some genetic material that Cyborg could keep alive and replicate would make it much easier to come up with vaccines, antidotes, diagnoses, and whatever else the titans might need. Naturally, Robin required that everyone sign release forms giving Cyborg full reign over the fate of such materials. He had insisted that, in any medical situation, it was important to establish legal protections and accountability. None of the other titans really cared, but everyone signed off anyway. This meant that now, as Cyborg fiddled with his teammates genetic material, merging and splicing away, he was well within his legal rights. That didn't mean that he felt right about it though. There was something unconscionable about doing such things without informing the participants. But Starfire had come to him in confidence, and telling people might just create a bunch of unnecessary fuss about a theory that may be entirely incorrect, so it was probably best not to mention anything until he knew the truth. So Cyborg covered up his progress, took one last look at Ryan's vitals, then got up.

"You good to go?"

Starfire stood from her perch by Ryan's bedside, then nodded, following Cyborg out into the hall.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Beast Boy," Raven said, irritated, as she floated down from tucking the last of the sheets into his top bunk, "we have to go."

"No," he threw a freshly cased pillow on the lower bed, "I'm not going."

"So you had a fight. That doesn't mean you're not still a part of the team," Raven chastised, "whatever Robin has to say might be important."

"I don't care," Beast Boy folded his arms, "until he apologizes, I'm not doing _anything_ he says."

"Beast Boy - we don't have time for this."

"Then GO!" He huffed, "you don't need to keep waiting for me, because I'm _not-_ "

Raven grabbed his arm and teleported them both to the main ops room.

"Hey!" Beast Boy cried, looking at their new surroundings, "that wasn't fair!"

Raven ignored him, joining Cyborg and Starfire as they stood in front of Robin.

"Titans," Robin began, as Beast Boy glumly trudged over, "I know that Marie and Ryan being here has been rough on everyone," his teammates - minus the still-scowling Beast Boy - nodded, "and we've all had a hard time adjusting. Unfortunately, it seems like they might be here for a while, so I've come up with some ideas on how to make everything go a little more smoothly." Robin pulled out a few sheets of paper from behind his back and handed them out. "From now on, there are going to be some changes in the way we do things, and these" he handed the sheets out, "should outline them."

The titans skimmed the pages.

"A chore list?" Raven looked up.

"Breakfast for Ryan and Marie, training for Ryan and Marie, play time - please, are these not things that are normal for the bumgorfs? Why must we do the listing of them?"

"It's not exactly a list," Robin clarified "it's a schedule."

"Ah, yeah - there're times on the side," Cyborg pointed.

"Then why are there _names_?" Raven asked.

"Well, since none of us have a ton of experience with kids," Robin explained, "and we've kind of been all over the place these past couple days, I thought we could all benefit from a little structure. That includes having assigned responsibilities for taking care of Marie and Ryan."

"But why do I have to-"

"Because, Cyborg," Robin shot him a stern look, "you are a part of this team, and we're all going to deal with this together. As a _team_."

Cyborg grumbled in discontent, but didn't press the issue.

"Why am I stuck helping Beast Boy with bath time?" Raven glanced at her name, "Did it _seem_ like I enjoyed it?"

"Because," Robin countered, "Beast Boy seemed the most interested in helping with that, and he can't be alone. Cyborg might not react well to having soap get into his circuits, Starfire-"

"Ugh, fine," Raven consented, "looks like Robin and I also get to wake them up. Great. Because the first thing I want to deal with in the morning is two hyperactive children that won't leave me alone."

"It seems that Beast Boy and I are responsible for the putting of the bumgorfs to sleep - as well as the time of play," Starfire grinned, "I am sure we will have much of the fun engaging in the activities intended for children!"

"Rae and I got shopping," Cyborg shrugged, "least I won't be alone next time."

"Joy."

"Cyborg - you and I have food detail too," Robin added, "since everyone else..." he glanced at Beast Boy and the girls, "doesn't cook."

"I cook!" Beast Boy defended himself.

"I think he means 'cooks well-balanced meals'," Raven interpreted, "a soy-based diet may be fine for you, but I'm not sure that Marie and Ryan would appreciate it."

"Marie likes soy..." Beast Boy muttered.

"It appears that the brushing of the teeth is to be shared by me and Robin," Starfire continued, reading off of the sheet, "but why must you do only the training of Marie?" She asked, puzzled, "surely you would want to do the teaching of the combat to both of the bumgorfs. Perhaps you made the mistake?"

"No," Robin shook his head, "Marie would benefit more from combat skills than Ryan."

"But Robin, I believe Ryan might-"

"This isn't a discussion," Robin informed her, then addressed the whole group, "you have your assignments."

"Wait," Cyborg scratched his head, "who has to watch them then the alarm goe-"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEEP!

"You just _had_ to say something."

"Star watched them last time," Robin yelled over the alarm, "so it's someone else's turn."

Raven looked Robin in the mask, daring him to pick her, while Cyborg avoided eye contact.

"I'll do it," Beast Boy volunteered, "I don't know if I have enough _discipline_ to control myself in a real fight," he said pointedly.

Robin ignored him.

"Titans, GO!"

And in the blink of an eye, Beast Boy was left alone -

"Mommy!" Two distinct voices cried.

\- or not.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 20

Beast Boy ran to Marie first, bursting into Raven's room without even considering the repercussions of entering without her express permission. Babysitting entitled him to go anywhere he needed to, right? Including that of the resident empath.

"Daddy!" Marie cried, holding her arms out to him.

"What is it?" Beast Boy adopted a fighting stance, preparing to attack, "what's wrong? Who's there?"

"I'm awake!" She smiled.

"...oh..." he dropped his hands, "uh, good morning?"

"It's afternoon, Daddy," she shook her head disapprovingly, "it's light out," she pointed out the window, "don't you have eyes?"

"You got Raven's insult-y-ness too?!" He groaned, "she's turned you against me!" Beast Boy feigned being stabbed in the heart, and flopped backwards onto the bed.

When he peeked out of one eye to see if Marie was laughing, he was greeted with a frown.

"What?" He sat up, "Was it something I said? Or did?" Beast Boy realized that he was still lying on Raven's new mattress, and leapt off with an "Eek! Don't tell Raven I was on her bed!"

Marie looked down.

"I'm not against you."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, confused, "I...I didn't mean it..."

She didn't respond.

"Do, uh," he knelt beside her, resting his folded arms on the sheets, "do I say that a lot?"

Marie avoided his eyes.

"I don't mean it though!" Beast Boy assured her, "...right?"

"MOMMY!" Beast Boy's attention was drawn back to Ryan's continuous calls.

"Marie, can you-"

"MOMMY!"

Beast Boy looked from Marie towards the source of the crying.

"I just wa-"

"MOMMY!

Beast Boy sighed. He really did want to know more about just what exactly was going on with Marie's parents, but he was on babysitting duty, and that meant that both so-called babies needed to be taken care of. Not just his.

"Sounds like Ryan needs me," he got up, heading for the door, "so, uh, stay right here and I'll be back in a sec."

"Wait!" Marie threw off the sheets and flew over to him, wrapping her little hand around his, "I'm coming."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Hya!" Robin's steel boots made contact with Cinderblock's head, throwing the creature off-balance.

The villain had barely a second to recover before Starfire began pummelling him with starbolts from the sky. Not to be outdone, Cyborg blasted at Cinderblock's legs, so that there was no part of his blocky build that was free from attack.

"Grrughhh," Cinderblock groaned, turning towards the two titans.

"Hey!" Cyborg cried as Cinderblock knocked him back, scratching his metal breast plate, "I just buffed that!"

Starfire narrowly avoided being hit out of the sky, shooting out from the trajectory of the villain's hand just in time.

"Azarath metrion zinthos!"

Cinderblock was thrown against the wall of the quarry, kicking up a thick cloud of dirt. Starfire flew closer and held up a glowing hand to the dust, trying to see through. However, Cinderblock had taken advantage of the titans' momentary blindness and picked up a large excavator, which hit the unsuspecting Tamaranean and threw her onto the ground.

"Starfire!" Robin raced to her side, while Cyborg and Raven retaliated.

"Booyah!" Cyborg cried, as his blasts hit Cinderblock in the face, distracting him enough for Raven to bind some unused rope around his legs. Before she could finish, Cinderblock stepped forward, snapping them before Raven could secure them.

"Hua!" Robin was quick to pick up the slack, delivering a series of kicks and punches to the monster's stony abdomen.

Cinderblock swatted him away, only to be met with a round of starbolts.

"Do not touch friend Robin!" The princess warned, taunting him by flitting around his head, just out of reach.

Cyborg grabbed the discarded digger and flung it back towards Cinderblock.

"Unnghhhh," Cinderblock took the hit, but reflected the attack almost instantly, pinning Cyborg between the truck's body and the rocky ground.

Raven flew over to Cyborg's side, leaving Starfire and Robin to continue, and the heavy machinery turned black and threw itself off of the cybernetic teen.

"You ok?"

"I think so," Cyborg replied, holding his head, "but we sure could use BB."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Who, me?" Beast Boy asked, shocked, "It was totally you guys!"

"Was not!" The children chorused.

"Are you guys kidding? I literally saw Cyborg give you the rest of it! I had to eat my cereal," the green teen grimaced, "dry."

Marie rolled her eyes, "you're a drama queen."

"Hey! That's not nice!"

"Drama queen, drama queen!" Ryan chanted, pointing at Beast Boy.

"STOP IT!"

The kids ignored him, Marie going so far as to join Ryan's taunting.

"Ugh..." Beast Boy turned on his communicator, "Beast Boy calling Cyborg."

"What?" Cyborg dodged a block of granite, "something happen to the kids?"

"When are you getting baaaaack?" Beast Boy whined, "They're being mean!"

"Are you serious right now, man?" Cyborg somersaulted away from Cinderblock's powerful punch, "I'm getting my butt kicked here - I don't have time for this!"

"But Cy! I-"

The communicator went black as Cyborg hung up.

"Hmph," Beast Boy grumbled, "some friend."

"Daddy," Marie stopped her name-calling, "I'm hungry."

"And I already told you - we're out of soymilk, so if you don't like dry cereal there's nothing else here! And anyway," Beast Boy spoke more to himself than to the kids, "didn't Robin say something about him and Cyborg doing food for you guys?"

"But they're not here," Marie reminded him.

"And we're hungry NOW," Ryan added.

"We're gonna starve," Marie insisted.

"Now who's being a drama queen..." Beats Boy mumbled.

Cyborg didn't give him a real answer about when the rest of the titans would be back. It didn't look like the fight was going too well. Beast Boy smiled to himself. They'd beg him not to stay back next time. But the fact was, right now he was the one staying back, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could last. As soon as he got Ryan up the kids had been talking nonstop about snacks and toys and being bored and hungry - why were such little dudes so majorly annoying?! Bath time was fun yesterday, until it got totally terrifying, but as far as the real important stuff went - Beast Boy had been completely uninvolved. Star and Raven were the ones who put them to sleep, Cyborg fed them - even Robin watched them for a while, though that hadn't ended too well. Beast Boy had two options: he could listen to the kids complain and tell everyone what a crummy babysitter he was, or he could be awesomely amazing and be the best babysitter ever, just to prove to Robin how much better a parent he was. In fact, forget being better than Robin. That guy hadn't just been a bad babysitter - he'd let the kids actually try and kill each other. Just making sure Marie and Ryan didn't need medical attention was too easy. Someone as impressive as Beast Boy could do way, way better.

"Ok!" Beast Boy clapped his hands with conviction, "you want food?"

The kids nodded.

"Then let's go out and get some."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Friends?" Starfire flew between Cinderblock's legs, causing him to bend over in an attempt to reach her, which Robin took advantage of by applying a kick to his head, which sent the villain tumbling, "I cannot help but fear for Beast Boy. Do you think the bum-"

"Quiet!" Robin hissed, rolling away from Cinderblock's fist, "we're not talking about Beast Boy or his mission!"

"Oh..." Starfire caught his meaning, "I...was just meaning that I fear the 'mission' he has been assigned might be too the much for him?"

She took a moment to fire some more starbolts at Cinderblock's head while Raven pummelled him with rock fragments.

"Perhaps one of us should-"

"NO," Robin growled before jumping back into the fray, "we're shorthanded enough without him. We can't afford to have another titan go."

"But..." Starfire sighed sadly, oblivious to the foot about to crush her.

"Arghhhh," Cyborg strained under the weight, catching the limb before it made contact.

"Starfire," Raven scolded, using her powers to throw Cinderblock back, "you need to pay attention!"

"Yeah, girl," Cyborg agreed, as Raven jumped back into battle, "ya almost got crushed!"

"Forgive me friends," she apologized, "I am just the concerned for...friend Beast Boy."

"I'm sure he's fine Star," Cyborg assured her, "he called a little while ago. Said the mission was goin' fine 'cept for some people being hungry."

"I am much comforted by this information," Starfire smiled.

"Alright then," Cyborg grinned back, "let's get back in and do this!"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Ok, I can do this," Beast Boy told himself as he pushed the shopping cart, "just a good ol' dad buying groceries. Not a big deal. Not a big-"

"Daddy?" Marie tugged at the bottom of his trench coat with her free hand, "why are ou talking to yourself?"

"Uh, no reason," Beast Boy squeaked, then, in response to Marie's skeptical glance, coughed and, in a much deeper voice, repeated, "no reason. Just thinking about what else we need to get."

"Waffles! Uncle Cyborg said-"

"NO!" Beast Boy cried, covering her mouth and generating a lot of judging glances from passersby, "I mean, we said we're playing a game, right? Where we pretend we're not," he pulled down his sunglasses, looked from side to side, then pushed his glasses back and whispered, "titans. So," he straightened back up and readjusted his bowling hat, "that means no talking about Uncle you-know-who."

"But what about Aunt Sta-"

"NO!"

"Excuse me...sir?" A young man in an apron with the store logo emblazoned upon it, "I'm afraid we don't allow pets in this store."

"What? I'm not-" Beast Boy remembered his disguise, then, coughing again and putting on his more 'adult' voice, insisted, "I don't have any pets."

"So...that's not your parakeet?"

"Huh?" Beast Boy followed the man's gaze to his shoulder, where a green parakeet stood, "AHHHHH!"

"SQUAWK!" The bird flewaway, startled, then landed back on the giggling Marie's shoulder.

"Um, yeah," Beast Boy glowered at the bird, "I thought I told him to stay where he was."

"You told a bird to stay where they were? Can you even train them to do that?"

Beast Boy was getting irritated by this overl-nosy employee. Who did he think he was? A bird expert?

"Yes," Beast Boy said coldly, "they can. Now, if you'll excuse us," he pushed past the man, "we have some shopping to do."

"But - the bird -"

"I'll talk to him," Beast Boy called back.

The employee scratched his head as Beast Boy and Marie turned at the end of the aisle.

"Ryan," Beast Boy seethed, as soon as they found another, more private, aisle, "I told you to stay hidden! Like as a mouse or a gecko or a bug or something! Not a bird!"

Ryan turned back into a little boy, and said, "Sorry! I-"

"Eek!" Beast Boy covered Ryan in his coat, "we're being sneaky, remember? We're playing a game where we don't want anyone to recognize us! So you need to stay hidden, as a small, easily concealable, non-human animal!"

"But Daddy," Marie interjected, "why are we playing? This isn't fun."

"Yeah," came a muffled voice from within Beast Boy's coat, "not fun."

"Guys," he pleaded, "it's just for a little while, ok? As soon as we get back to the tower, I'll make you whatever you want, ok?"

"Even mint chocolate chip ice cream?" Marie jumped up and down.

"And the birthday meat crown?" Ryan asked.

"Uh," Beast Boy tried to control his nausea, "we can do vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream."

"Yay!" Marie fist bumped the air, something Beast Boy noted, with no small amount of pride, was an imitation of his own air-fist-bumping technique.

"But what about-"

"We can talk about the..." Beast Boy held in a gag, "meat crown...later."

Ryan hmphed.

"But now," he ordered Ryan, "you need to turn into something smaller that I can hide in my coat, ok?"

The green boy begrudgingly obliged, morphing into a furry baby mouse, which Beast Boy picked up and put in his lefthand pocket.

"Now," Beast Boy tightened the trench coat belt, "where were we?"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

BOOM

Cyborg collided with a forklift, landing on top of the cab.

"Ugh."

Cyborg trained his neck to see how his teammates were faring. Apparently not much better than him. But at least they had him distracted. Cyborg let his head fall back, completely forgetting the fact that he was on top of a sheet of hard metal.

"Ow..." he placed a hand behind his now-throbbing head and rested on it, staring up at the late afternoon sky. If he ignored Robin's battle cries and Cinderblock's groaning, it could almost have been peaceful.

"Cyborg!" Robin yelled over to him, "this isn't the time to be taking a nap!"

"'Hey!" Cyborg jumped off of the truck, "I was just takin' a second to recover!"

"Recover faster then!"

Cyborg grumbled, making his way back into the fray.

Why did they keep doing this?

Cyborg dodged a flying chunk of rock.

Was he the only one sick of fighting this guy? They all knew how it was going to end - you couldn't really knock a giant block of cement out. You had a better chance of breaking your hand. Luckily that hadn't happened to anybody. Yet. With the way Robin was kicking at him though, Cyborg wouldn't discount the possibility of a broken leg. Good think Raven was around.

"Azarath metrion zinthos!" The empath shielded herself from Cinderblock's fist, which still caused her to shake with the impact on her force field.

Cyborg stifled the urge to yell at Raven and tell her to tie him up already. Binding him with strong materials tended to be the best way to keep him in check until the authorities arrived. Whole bunch of good it did them. Did they even have a proper holding cell for him? There had to be some way of preventing him from escaping. That being said, Cyborg had taken a look at the most recent renovations to the Jump City penitentiary, and it had certainly seemed like his cell was solid. So how had he escaped again?

"Raven," Starfire spoke Cyborg's thoughts aloud as she pelted the criminal with starbolts, "are there none of the materials here which you might use to do the binding of Cinderblock?"

Raven swung another piece of machinery at the moving statue before responding.

"I can't - there are some beams over there," she pointed to a pile of steel rods to her right, "but they're too short - I won't be able to wrap them around him."

"In this case," Starfire smiled, "I may be able to provide assistance."

"I got you Star," Cyborg positioned himself in front of Cinderblock, prepared to create a distraction, then called, "hey, you! Big, stony, and ugly!"

Cinderblock groaned angrily.

"That's right! I'm talkin' to YOU!" Cyborg addressed him, "what's your problem? Woke up on the wrong side of the cell today?"

Cinderblock attempted a punch, but Cyborg caught his hand, skidding backwards from the force.

"Are the insults really necessary?" Raven asked condescendingly.

"I don't know," Cyborg pushed Cinderblock's arm away, "are any of your insults really necessary?"

"Touché."

Robin landed next to the duo, taking a quick pause before getting back to his assault.

"Something about this doesn't feel right," he mused.

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed, "I don't think he could'a escaped his new cell without help."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Robin launched himself back towards the monster, graduating to birdarangs and bostaff as his means of attack.

"Friend Raven," Starfire flew over, carrying what appeared to be a giant steel pipe, welded together courtesy of Starfire's eye beams, "I have the materials you require!"

"Nice," Cyborg cracked his knuckles, "now let's get this DONE."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Are we almost done?" An antsy Marie demanded, "I wanna go HOME."

"Ok," Beast Boy dug through their overloaded shopping cart, "let me just check...tofu, soymilk, waffle mix, tofu dogs, tofu dog buns, cookies, lollipops, gummy bears, ice cream...I think that covers it!"

He shone a toothy grin to his daughter, who was too irritated to smile back.

"So can we GO?" She whined.

"Right after we pay!" Beast Boy walked the little girl up to the checkout line, not bothered by her unpleasant attitude. He had enough practice with her mother to know that ignoring it was sometimes best.

"Good afternoon...sir?" The checkout lady's bright smile faded when she looked up from the register to see the short 'man' with the sketchy trench coat and dark glasses - not to mention the hat. No one wore all of that inside unless they were hiding something.

"Hi," Beast Boy tried to maintain his deeper 'adult' voice, "how's it going?"

"Um..." she stared at him skeptically, unsure as to whether or not she should call the police. Looking suspicious wasn't exactly a crime, but that didn't mean she shouldn't be wary.

"Can you hurry up?" Marie grabbed the attention of the woman, who hadn't noticed her behind the counter.

"Oh!" The cashier was startled by the unexpected voice, but quickly regained her composure. This situation was getting more incriminating by the second.

"Yeah," Beast Boy seconded Marie's motion, "we're kind of in a rush."

A seedy guy clearly trying not to be recognized, was trying to leave a public place with a little girl as quickly as possible? That didn't sound good.

"Honey," she asked Marie, "do you know this guy?"

"Duh," Marie rolled her eyes, "he's my daddy."

"Ok..." the woman was not totally convinced, but the little girl did seem pretty certain. That didn't mean her so-called father wasn't still giving her some seriously unsettling vibes.

"Ahem," Beast Boy gestured to the groceries.

"Right," she started scanning the various items, "I'll just...ring you up."

Beast Boy observed as she placed the items in plastic bags, trying to judge whether or not she recognized him. He hoped she was just uncomfortable because of his ingenious disguise, and not because she saw any of his greenness. Which reminded him...

"Hey, Ryan," he leaned down, whispering into his pocket, which caused the cashier give him another strange look, "you ok buddy?"

No response. Beast Boy had expected a squeak, at the very least.

"Ryan?" Beast Boy stuck a hand into the fabric, trying to find the furry creature with his fingers, "Come on, dude, this isn't funny..." Beast Boy patted himself down, trying to feel for any moving bumps, "Ryan, come out come out wherever you are..."

"He's right there," Marie dipped a foot towards the mouse beneath a magazine rack.

"Phew," Beast Boy sighed, relieved, "dude - GET BACK IN HERE!" He motioned to the pocket.

The mouse shook his head. The cashier had started staring again, not understanding how or why Beast Boy expected Marie to get in his pocket. Unless... Her eyes widened. It was time to call security.

"Ryan!" Beast Boy whispered as loud as he could, "stop fooling around!"

The rodent wiggled his whiskers, then scurried over to Marie, climbing up her pants.

"Ryan," Beast Boy reached for him, but was thwarted when the mouse climbed onto Marie's shirt, "this isn't funny!"

"This ain't funny either," a legitimately deep voice boomed, "I'm gonna have to ask you to step away from the girl."

"But I-"

"Step AWAY," the security guard reached for his taser.

Beast Boy was seconds from asking the guy if he knew just who he was, but stopped himself. He was incognito. He couldn't blow his cover now. Robin would be so mad...

"Ok, ok!" Beast Boy moved back.

"That's it," the guard nodded, then stepped in between Beast Boy and Marie, "now, sweetie," he started to turn, "can you te-AHHHHHHHHH!" The guard jumped back, bumping into Beast Boy.

"What is it?!" Beast Boy stood on tiptoe, peeking over the burly man's shoulders.

"It's a-"

"RAT!" The cashier finished for him, jumping up on the counter in terror, "Somebody DO something!"

Children are typically startled by loud sounds, so it made sense that Marie froze, still unsure as to whether or not the surrounding shrieks were meant for her. So if Marie, with her human ears, was made uncomfortable, Ryan, with his extremely sensitive mouse ears, was doubly affected. Beast Boy saw where this was headed.

"Ryan!" He cried, "NO!"

Ryan paid him no attention, and, in his terror, launched off of Marie and scampered away from the noise, rushing into equally as horrified crowds of unsuspecting shoppers.

"EWWW!"

"Get it AWAY!"

"EEK!"

"HELP!"

"AHH!"

The grocery store had turned into a free-for-all, siblings pushing each other out of the way, parents tripping on children as they fled - all in the pursuit of distance from the horrifyingly innocent beast. A few more courageous patrons attempted to catch him, but Ryan was too fast, shooting around corners and underneath the shelves separating the aisles.

"Ryan!" Beast Boy ran frantically looking to his sides, "where are you?!"

A man ran past Beast Boy, running away from his last perceived mouse sighting, and crashed into a large rack of baking goods. Said rack toppled over, covering the floor in frosting and flour, and causing a domino effect into the next aisle. Now those who hadn't been scared of the mouse were running to avoid being crushed.

Beast Boy groaned. If the store management found out that this was all his fault, they'd put it on the titan's tab. He was so dead. Unless he somehow got Ryan and Marie out of there without getting caught, which, at this point, seemed unlikely. His instincts told him that he should turn into a bloodhound and seek out Ryan's scent, then grab him in his paws, turn into an eagle, and fly out of the store with the rodent in his talons and fly until they made it back to the tower. Of course, that meant abandoning Marie. Not to mention revealing his identity as the amazing superhuman heartthrob that he was. The ladies would definitely notice him. Which, normally, would be awesome. But not when he was trying to keep his daughter and her friend a secret. Ugh. What was he going to do? He pushed past another swarm of fleeing civilians. Who knew a mouse could cause this much panic? Honestly, Beast Boy should have. He'd had his own fair share of trying to scare his teammates as different rodents and creepy-crawlies, and was well aware that turning into an animal with a bad rep was just asking for trouble. He still had bruises from the last time he turned into a spider and crawled into Starfire's hair. So not a good call.

"Ughhhh," Beast Boy held his head in his hands, "what am I gonna do?"

"Don't worry Daddy," Marie put a hand on his elbow, "I'll get him."

"Wait!" Beast Boy cried, but he was too late.

Marie shot out a long tendril of black energy, which pulled Ryan out from the next aisle over and delivered him into her hands.

"Bird, NOW," Beast Boy shouted at him.

At this point, he was pretty sure no one was paying them any attention. No one was going to notice a little transformation when they still had their eyes trained on the floor. His only concern was that Marie's little burst of power might have been sighted. Judging by the continuing chaos though, Beast Boy doubted it had been. Ryan turned back into a green parakeet and chirped.

"Ok," Beast Boy scanned the surrounding area, confirming that no one was looking, "on the count of three, I'm gonna grab our stuff, and we're going to run out the front doors. Got it?"

Marie nodded. Ryan squawked.

"One..."

Beast Boy got into running position.

"Two..."

Marie did her best to copy him.

"Three!"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

BOOM

Cyborg and Robin's combined attack of laser cannon and exploding disks stunned Cinderblock enough for Starfire to push him over, right into the path of the hovering black pipe.

CREEEEEAAAAAAAKKKKK

"Gotcha," Raven released her hold on the beam, leaving a nicely packaged villain ready for police pickup.

"Nice work," Robin smiled, joining his teammates.

"Cops should be here soon," Cyborg snapped his arm panel shut.

Raven eyed the stone creature before them.

"Does anyone else feel like this was harder than usual?"

"Even without the help of friend Beast Boy, I must agree that Cinderblock was most formidable," Starfire seconded Raven's assessment.

"It's like someone gave him an extra power boost or somethin'," Cyborg added.

"And he couldn't have broken out by himself," Robin approached the creature, "it's almost like when Slade took control of him, Plasmus, and Overload..." he trailed off as something on Cinderblock's back caught his eye, "wait a second..." he pried off a smooth metal disk, which gave off a small charge as it detached.

"What is it?" Raven asked, levitating over his shoulder.

"I don't know," Robin examined it, "it...looks like one of Slade's."

The other titans looked at each other. No one liked where this was going. Robin was notoriously obsessive, which worked well when they were trying to solve a challenging case, but not so well when it came to thinking rationally about his most dangerous nemesis. Especially after Beast Boy claimed that he'd seen him a few months back, or at least one of his bots. Robin had told Beast Boy to his face that Slade was gone, but that didn't mean that he had completely discounted the possibility. Beast Boy had just reignited the small spark of twisted hope that he might be back, so Robin could lock him up once and for all. The titans were all aware that Robin's frustration with Slade was that he was never able to catch him. Even when he was supposedly gone, he kept popping up in mysterious ways, messing with their minds through hallucinogenic drugs in old masks in their basement or with remotely controlled bots. If Robin knew that Slade was one one place, holed up in solitary in some maximum security prison, he'd sleep easier. In truth, they all would. But that didn't negate the fact that their leader had a problematic relationship with him.

"But look," Starfire eagerly redirected his downhill train of thought, "there appears to be a marking that is distinct from the one of Slade."

"She's right," Cyborg zoomed in on the disk's surface with his electronic eye, "I'm not seeing any 'S'."

Robin scowled, "but the technology looks the same - is it crazy to think that he might have changed his signature?"

"I don't know," Raven countered, "he seemed like he was pretty proud of his work - I don't think he'd want us to give someone else credit because we saw a different logo."

"Friends," Starfire spoke, examining the disk further, "does it not appear that the markings bear a similarity to the English letter of 'R'?"

Raven took the piece from Robin holding it up to her eyes, "it does."

"Do we know anybody with an 'R' in their name?" Cyborg asked aloud.

"Rouge," Raven answered, "but this doesn't look like anything we've seen before, from anyone."

"Except Slade," Robin started in again, "you can't deny that its similar."

Unfortunately, they could not. But what exactly did that mean?

WOOOOOO WOOOOOO

The sound of sirens approaching distracted the titans from their musings.

"We can run some tests on it when we get back to the tower," Robin stated, pocketing the disk.

"I don't like this," Cyborg shook his head, watching as Robin headed to help the police.

"Me either," Raven levitated beside him, "I have a feeling that whoever put that disk there is going to be back."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Minimal light was cast by the screen as it played footage of an incident at the Jump City Supermarket. It gave a bluish tint to the rusty orange of the mask the lone observer wore on the top half of their face. Their gloved thumb clicked a button on the controller in their palm, and the shot froze, showing a black line radiating from a little girl's hand.

"Well, well, titans," the figure smiled, twisting a strand of white hair with the fingers of their free hand, "what do we have here?"


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 21

Robin braced himself before opening the door. If the state of the tower after Starfire babysat was bad, he could only imagine what catastrophe awaited them with Beast Boy. He had to prepare himself for the worst. Maybe there wouldn't even be anything left to look at. Beast Boy caused enough messes without the help of any superpowered children. Who knew how much more damage he could do with minions?

Robin snuck a sideways glance at Starfire, wondering how she would take it if Beast Boy somehow managed to blow Ryan up. Probably not well. His vision shifted to Raven. She'd probably be fine. As far as he knew she seemed more annoyed by Marie than anything else. She might appreciate having the source of her irritation eliminated.

Taking a deep breath, Robin reached for the door and shut his eyes. Here went nothing...

"...wow."

Robin's eyes shot open at the sound of Raven's unusually impressed tone.

"Huh?" This couldn't be happening. The windows were still spotless, the floor wasn't splintered, the couch was still intact - and was that Marie and Ryan playing on the floor with Beast Boy's dog toys? Actually getting along?! The titans jaws collectively dropped.

"Hi guys!" Beast Boy leapt over the couch, running over to them, "how was the mission?"

The way the green teen was twiddling his thumbs, grinning a little too widely, made Robin uneasy. He was hiding something. Robin was sure of it.

"Fine," Robin brushed off the question, switching into interrogation mode, "how were things here?"

"Here?" Beast Boy gulped, "everything was, uh, awesome?"

Robin raised a masked brow, "are you sure?"

"...yeah?" Beast Boy's smile faltered.

Robin opened his mouth to speak, but Cyborg stepped in front of him and stopped him short.

"Seriously?" Cyborg gestured to the room around them, "everything's fine! The kids are safe, the tower's still standing - HEY," the chromium teen caught sight of the kitchen, "ARE THOSE TOFU DOGS ON MY BRAND NEW STOVE?!"

"Eek!" Beast Boy ran past Cyborg, prepared to defend his precious food, "leave them alone! They didn't do anything to you!"

"Oh yes they did," Cyborg chased after him, "my kitchen's gonna smell like fake meat! And my pan...my poor bacon pan..." Cyborg shook his fist, "if my meat tastes like soy..."

Beast Boy and Cyborg were locked in a standoff, Beast Boy blocking Cyborg's attempt to remove the pan of tofu from the stove.

"Tofu..." Robin's eyes narrowed, "we didn't have any food left this morning..."

"Oh! I see that we are now in possession of the iced cream!" Starfire exclaimed gleefully, investigating the contents of the freezer.

Ice cream? No way there was any of that left. Desserts never lasted too long in the tower.

"Beast Boy," Raven asked evenly, "where did all this food come from?"

"It was here the whole time!" Beast Boy insisted, "it's not like I left the tower to get groceries or anything!"

"It sounds like that's EXACTLY what you did," she noted.

"Beast Boy..." Robin started through clenched teeth, as Cyborg walked past him towards the couch. It had been a rough day. He deserved some time to relax without listening to another throw down between BB and their leader. He grabbed the remote.

"But I didn't do anyth-"

"...commotion today at Jump City Supermarket, where a rat sighting spooked customers and employees..."

The titans' attention was drawn to the tv screen, where an anchorwoman was mid-report

"...authorities are investigating what could be an infestation of diseased rodents, as customers reported seeing a sickly green color to the rat's fur..."

"GREEN?!" Robin set his sights on Beast Boy, "did you seriously abandon the kids because you were hungry?!"

"No!" Beast Boy waved his hands in defense, "I wouldn't leave them here! I took them with me!"

Beast Boy slapped his hands over his mouth, realizing his error too late.

"You...risked the safety of the bumgorfs?" Starfire asked, shocked.

"Man, this is bad..." Cyborg shook his head.

"I'm guessing the green rat was Ryan?" Raven clarified.

"I wasn't a rat!" Ryan defended himself from the other side of the couch, responding to the mention of his name, "I was a mouse!"

"He ran away from us!" Beast Boy cried, "I told him to stay in my pocket!"

"It wasn't fair!" Ryan ran over to Starfire, trying to explain, "Marie didn't have to be in a pocket! She got to walk around!"

"That's because she's not GREEN!" Beast Boy yelled.

"But you're green!" Ryan shot back, "Why didn't YOU have to hide?"

"I was in majorly deep disguise!" Beast Boy stated, as if this was a completely acceptable response and not remotely further incriminating.

"What disguise?" Robin gritted his teeth.

"Yeah man - it's not like you have a holoring..." Cyborg reminded him.

"Duh," Beast Boy rolled his eyes, "I was in disguise, not in fake techie-magic-holo-whatever."

"Let me guess," Raven said patronizingly, "you put on an incredibly obvious trench coat with sunglasses and a dark hat and a fake moustache?"

"Ugh!" Beast Boy smacked a hand against his forehead and pulled down his face, "a moustache would have been AWESOME! Why didn't I think of that?!"

Cyborg groaned.

"Are you SURE nobody saw you?!" Robin honed back in on the most important point, "it sounds like all that probably got you was a bunch of unwanted attention."

"Well...now that you mention it," Beast Boy looked up, thinking hard, "I did get a lot of weird looks..."

Robin started growling.

"But!" Beast Boy saved himself, "my skin was covered! No one even knew it was me!"

"Then why were people giving you weird looks?" Robin retorted.

"I don't know! Ok?!"

"Maybe it had something to do with him being dressed like a sketchy guy with something to hide while holding the hand of a little girl that may not have been his daughter."

"Ohhh..." The other titans understood.

"What? I don't get it!" Except for Beast Boy.

No one chose to enlighten him.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about this now," Robin assessed, "so we'll just have to hope for the best and keep an eye out for signs of anyone knowing about Marie and Ryan. But for now, let's make one thing clear," he turned to Beast Boy, "no one leaves the tower with Marie and Ryan unless that person - and Ryan - have holorings."

Beast Boy blanched, "uh...and if we do - did?"

"Then there will be consequences," Robin warned, "and tonight, that punishment is..."

Beast Boy held his breath in anticipation. Please don't be laundry please don't be laundry please don't be laundry please don't be -

"...laundry duty." Robin smirked.

"Ughhh," Beast Boy hung his head, "can't it ever just be drying dishes?"

"Nope," Robin turned to address the rest of the team, "titans, get your laundry baskets ready."

"Aww man..." Beast Boy grumbled.

The clothes-wearing titans had a rather...unique set up when it came to doing laundry. Within the first few weeks of moving in together, it became extremely apparent that their laundry routine had to change. Each titan's wardrobe consisted primarily of copies of a single outfit, but this was because it was easier to get duplicates of an existing outfit that was both comfortable in battle as well as when lounging and sleeping. As a superhero, one needed to be ready at any moment, and thus their uniforms were worn at all times. Yes, they could have diversified their wardrobes. But what was the point? Robin had an image he needed to protect. Civilian clothes would only serve to smudge the crisp line between superhero and whatever hidden identity existed behind the boy wonder's mask. Raven and Starfire wore the clothes of the cultures they had been raised in. Azarath was a place of peace and equality, so little mind was paid to the variety garments one might own. They focused on other, less divisive things than fashion. Raven, for her part, was even less aware of other options, given her forced adherence to a strict schedule of meditation and other lessons. To her, it seemed wholly unnecessary to have more than one outfit. Starfire would be the most likely contender for a varied wardrobe, but Tamaranean clothes were not commonly sold on Earth, so she had merely had a tailor recreate her original outfit ten times over. Though she did have several Earthen articles of clothing, wearing something from her homeworld made her hope that people who saw her valiant performance in battle might easily recognize her as a Tamaranean. It was her belief that, through this recognition, she would bring honor to her people. As for Beast Boy? Much like Robin, the Doom Patrol had a very strict dress code, wherein everyone donned the same uniform in every battle in order to solidify their image as a team. By the time he joined the titans, the idea was so ingrained that it didn't cross his mind to buy any other clothes. Plus it made it way easier to decide what to wear in the morning. On those rare days that he changed. This was only one of the many hygiene-related issues that they faced.

The titans lived active lives. If they weren't out defeating criminals, they were training in the gym, or playing stankball, or volleyball, or something that required heightened activity. Some titans preferred less motion-driven pastimes, but the fact stood that every day, each titan except Beast Boy and Cyborg, felt the need to throw their old uniforms in the laundry basket, and don a new one for the next day. This was the first issue. There were three titans, all wearing at least seven outfits per week, all of which had to be washed. There were also sheets from three beds that needed weekly changing. Since each titan washed their sheets separate from their clothes, this resulted in three titans doing two loads of laundry each. Naturally, the titans shared the same limited free time, which meant that they were constantly at odds when it came to finding time to wash their things. There had been occasions where the only way to decide whose turn it was could only be settled by a clash of starbolts and dark energy, which almost resulted in the destruction of both machines. Then there was Beast Boy. The stench from his reused clothes had started making everyone else sick to their stomachs. The dirty sheets he slept in every night didn't help either. Something had to be done.

It was at this point that Robin enacted the laundry chore list. He deduced that it would reduce conflict between himself and the girls, not to mention force Beast Boy to start actually using the washing machine, if each titan was given laundry duty on a rotating basis. Two loads would be done; one for sheets and one for clothes, and whoever's turn it was had to do both. To add incentive for their green teammate, Robin tacked on the additional stipulation that not providing sheets and uniforms for the laundry person would result in an addition of two hours of training time. Per item. Beast Boy had quickly shaped up.

This week was Starfire's turn, but she wasn't about to say anything. Sometimes Beast Boy's unmentionables were unmentionably gross...along with the rest of his clothes. Starfire and Raven had not realized how gross boys could be until they started doing their laundry. Robin and Beast Boy had learned what a thong was, after one particularly painful occasion when Beast Boy had lifted one such garment up and walked into the middle of the common room to inform Raven that a shoelace must have gotten in her laundry basket. He was sore for weeks.

Beast Boy recalled this, and many other uncomfortable laundry-related incidents as he carried this week's items to the laundry room.

"Ugh," he dropped the tower of baskets on the floor with a thud, panting as he leaned against them for support and wiped his sweaty brow.

This really wasn't fair. In addition to the usual stuff, he had to do the kids' laundry too?! He removed the first basket and gagged as he picked up the puke-stained pajama shirt Marie had arrived in. He spotted another one of Ryan's shirts in the basket too, covered in blood from the fight earlier today.

"Blech," Beast Boy looked away, queasy.

If there was anything worse than running the washing machine, it was stain removal. Usually this was something each titan dealt with before handing in their clothes, but Marie and Ryan, sadly, were not well educated in the laundering arts. Beast Boy threw the shirt back onto the pile. He was so not ready to deal with that now. Plus, maybe if he begged, Starfire would help him. She had a knack for these things. Plus it was technically her laundry week

"Ok sheets," Beast Boy clapped his hands together, then interwove his fingers and cracked them, "prepare to meet Mr. Clean."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"No!" Ryan backed into the corner, "I don't wanna!"

"Hey, it's ok," Cyborg assured him, "look," he held up his hands, "no needles!"

Ryan's cries ceased, but he still eyed the metal teen with suspicion.

"Please Ryan - Cyborg wishes only to do the physical exam and the rays made of x's."

"You mom's right," he nodded, "just a few non-invasive tests. No needles or anything. I promise." Cyborg held a hand over his heart, "titan's honor."

Ryan took a hesitant step forward.

"That is it, my bumgorf," Starfire laid her hand behind his back, gently guiding him towards the med bay beds.

Cyborg pulled out an ultrasound machine from the far end of the room, and dragged it over.

"Now this," he explained, lifting Ryan onto the nearest cot, "is going to show us what your organs look like," he gestured to the machine.

"Like a picture of my tummy?"

"Yeah, something like that," Cyborg pulled out a tube of clear jelly and squeezed some into his hand, "can you lift your shirt up for me?"

Ryan did so, and yelped as the cold touched his skin.

"Now, lie back," Cyborg unstructed, while he took out a plastic handle-looking thing attached to the machine and turned on the screen, "and let's take a look."

The results were more or less exactly what Cyborg expected. He still hadn't had a chance to review the bloodwork he was doing for Starfire, or an in-depth analysis of the blood he'd recovered from Ryan and Marie's little battle. However, cursory glance at the latter had shown that Ryan's bloodwork was very similar to Starfire's. In other words, his blood was more similar to a Tamaranean than a human. In order to test this theory, he decided that a full exploratory physical would be useful in understanding exactly what exactly Ryan was - other than a hyperactive four year old, of course.

When Robin hastily exited the room and Beast Boy begrudgingly left to begin his dreaded laundry duty, Cyborg pulled Starfire aside and informed her of his intentions. With a mumbled excuse about Ryan and Starfire needing to do some unnamed Tamaranean ritual for children, the three slipped out, and Cyborg filled Starfire in on precisely what he would be looking for while Ryan obliviously skipped down the hall, holding his mother's hand and daydreaming. Specifically, Cyborg wanted to test the theory that, despite his donor DNA from the human Beast Boy, Ryan might be completely genetically Tamaranean. Beast Boy could turn into animals, and weren't human technically animals too? They had all seen Beast Boy turn into Tamaranean creatures as well. Thus, couldn't it be inferred that Beast Boy could turn into another Tamaranean 'animal'? Couldn't he become a Tamaranean humanoid as well? On the outside, Starfire looked very similar to an Earthling, save for her eyes and eyebrows. Ryan shared these characteristics, but this was hardly conclusive evidence. The true measure would be checking out what was inside the little boy.

The ultrasound showed they typical nine stomachs, and other vital organs, the x-rays showed the same skeletal system with the specific variances Starfire possessed. His heart range and body temperature were within normal Tamaranean standards - even Ryan's bloodwork, upon closer examination, was wholly Tamaranean in makeup. In short, the boy had absolutely no human genetics in him whatsoever.

"I see," Starfire tried to process this information, while Ryan enjoyed the customary lollipop awarded to children after any medical visit, "but what does this mean?"

"It means that the reason you and Beast Boy were able to have a kid was that when his...uh...stuff" Cyborg looked for a different phrasing, not wanting to have a sex-ed talk with a possibly-unaware girl friend, "merged with yours, it must have detected your DNA and modified itself to match."

Starfire looked confused, and Cyborg hoped beyond hope that her next question would not result in a super uncomfortable discussion with diagrams and bananas and-

"So...if I was to attempt procreation with a human," Starfire blushed, obviously meaning Robin, "what would be the result?"

Cyborg glanced towards the microscope in the corner, where his gene-combining experiments were taking place.

"What I'm seeing so far is that, when you combine your DNA with a human's, the replicating strand rejects the foreign nucleotides and doesn't copy them over."

"I do not understand..." Starfire was still confused.

"Basically," and it broke Cyborg's heart to say it, "you couldn't have kids with Robin. Or any non-Tamaranean. Except...Beast Boy.." Cyborg grimaced, not wanting to thing about any of his teammates actually reproducing, least of all the two that created Ryan.

"Oh..." Starfire was silent, taking the information in.

It wasn't that Starfire wasn't aware that this was the most likely outcome of an attempted union between different species. But the fact was that it had happened, with varying levels of success. Take the mules, for example, or the ligers. Both were healthy offspring species of different animals -was not the same possible for her and Robin? Apparently the answer was no.

"What I don't get," Cyborg broke her chain of thought, "is why y'all didn't just get a donor from Tamaran."

"What?" Starfire cocked her head.

"You know," Cyborg blushed, "like...just having a kid with another guy from your planet."

"Oh no!" Starfire gasped, "one could not do such a thing on Tamaran," she shook her head vehemently, "on my planet, one's lineage is most important. No one would consider mixing their line with another, if they were not bound by the bonds of matrimony. It would be seen as disloyal to one's own family, be it present or future. Also," she sighed, "I cannot imagine that a Tamaranean would willingly allow their child to be raised by another. The shame of abandoning one's child would be great, and the love they bear for family would not permit it," she looked at Ryan, still licking away, "even I, who call Earth my home, would be unable to bear it if future Beast Boy and Raven had been the ones to raise Ryan instead of myself. Even if friend Beast Boy is his father," she sighed, looking absently away from Cyborg, but then her eyes widened, realizing the possible offense her words implied, "forgive me - that is not to say that future friends Beast Boy and Raven would not make good parents! I am sure that they will be most wonderful and nurturing guardians for Marie!"

"Uh...sure they will..." Cyborg smiled unconvincingly.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Raven wondered, yet again, what had possessed her future self to have children. Yeah, there were the obvious issues with her progeny being evil and bad and prone to bursts of destructive and uncontrolled power - but there was also the fact that she didn't like children.

"Mommy?"

Raven opened an eye, peeking out at the interruption.

"What do you want?"

"I'm boooooooored," Marie threw herself onto the couch above which Raven was levitating.

"Weren't you just doing something?"

Marie shook her head, "I was playing with Ryan," she rolled onto her back, looking up at Raven as if she were crazy, "but he's not here. Olbusly."

"You mean obviously?" Raven corrected, then, with mild enthusiasm and a hint of patronization, "that's a big word."

"Daddy says I'm a smart cookie," Marie informed her.

"Good for you," Raven closed her eyes again, "Azarath, metrio-"

"Mommy," Marie whined, breaking into her meditation once again, "I'm bored."

"You mentioned that," Raven reminded through clenched teeth.

"What are we gonna do?"

" _We_ aren't doing anything. _I_ am going to keep meditating. _You_ will have to figure out what to do on your own."

"But Mommy-"

"STOP calling me that!" Raven covered her mouth with her hand as Marie's face filled with confusion, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"But...that's your name."

Raven raised a brow.

"...Ryan literally calls me 'Aunt Raven'."

"But you're Mommy," Marie insisted.

"My name is _Raven_ ," the empath growled, "'Mommy' is just a meaningless title given to the woman that gave birth to you or raised you. Neither of which is the case here."

Marie knotted her brows.

"It doesn't matter what you think!" She cried, "your name is MOMMY!"

The little girl pounded her fists into the couch cushions, clearly on the verge of a full-on tantrum.

"NO IT'S NO-"

Raven stopped herself, struggling to hold back. She hadn't had nearly enough time to meditate over the past few days, and her emotions were running high. Fighting with a - how old had Robin said she was? four, right? - four year old wasn't going do anything but destroy the common room again. Raven took a deep breath, and muttered her mantra to herself once more. She wasn't about to start playing games with the little girl, but maybe there was a way she could solve both of their problems. It was a long shot, and Raven was fairly confident that the answer would be an emphatic NO, but she owed it to herself to at least ask-

"Have you ever...meditated before?"

Marie nodded, "yeah. ALL the time."

Raven was shocked, but honestly it wasn't that surprising. The child did, after all, have her powers, and they needed to be kept in check.

"Do you want to..." Raven hesitated, "um...join...me?"

Raven wasn't in the habit of inviting people into the comfort of her meditation space. She viewed it as a deeply personal thing wherein she explored the very essence of her soul, resolving internal conflicts, examining her feelings - or, more commonly, figuring out how best to repress them. These were not things that required company. The only person that ever joined her - ever showed a drop of interest in it - was Starfire. Raven had been both shocked and impressed by her friend's ability to focus, and welcomed the happiness that radiated from the calm being that hovered beside her. But even her enjoyment of Starfire's presence had its limit. Their joint sessions were fine for a basic emotional tune-up, but when it came to dealing with the tangled strands of Trigon's rage, weaving their way into even the calmest crevices of her psyche, she had to be alone. Distractions could be dangerous. In this case, though, a tune-up would need to be sufficient. She couldn't have anyone blaming her if Marie wrought havoc while she wasn't watching. There were enough negative emotions flying around already. Raven didn't need to be subjected to more.

"Ok," Marie shrugged, as if this were a completely normal request, not one that would send most children running for the hills.

"Alright then," Raven gestured to the air beside her, "cross your legs, and-"

"I know what to do," Marie interrupted, levitating beside her in lotus position.

"Right..." Raven cleared her throat, "ready?"

"Yeah," Marie closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

"Tofu dogs, video games, pizza."

"Huh?" Raven's eyes shot open, "what are you doing?"

Marie kept her eyes closed, replying simply, "saying my mantra."

"That's your mantra?" Raven's face grew red, "why didn't I make you use MINE?!"

"Because," Marie cracked an eye open, "Daddy said I needed my own."

"He did, did he?" Raven grumbled under her breath, "Beast Boy...I am going to KILL you..."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Robin was harboring similar feelings about the footage he had taken to the evidence room. Having created a schedule for the kids which he was going to enact first thing tomorrow morning, and having made little progress in deciphering the circumstances of the children's births aside from learning their respective ages, Robin had opted to return to the mystery of the figure in the security camera footage. Of course, he had watched it about twenty times before, and the extra viewings now were not leading him anywhere closer. He gripped the edge of the desk to top himself from flinging the monitor onto the ground.

So far, all he had noted was that a blurry hand with a faint rust-orange hue attached to a dark arm had pushed the kids into their time. There were no distinctive markings...nothing that could lead to an id without the hand model analysis, and even that was a shot in the dark. Robin whipped around, pacing the room. He was missing something - he could feel it. His mentor would have figured it out by now - of that he was sure. Or, at least, that's what his mentor would have made him believe. Nothing was ever good enough for him. Not necessarily in the way the phrase is typically used, though. It wasn't that nothing was ever good enough for his mentor - it was that anything he did could be improved. The man that turned Robin into what he was today had imparted a great many lessons upon him. One was that you never, ever give up, no matter the odds or the difficulty. A second was that there is always something you're not seeing, some component that is there, be it blindingly obvious or extremely well-hidden, something right under your nose that you're missing. A third was that your enemies are always one step ahead. Of course, that was often untrue, as was the case with petty criminals like Mumbo Jumbo or Johnny Rancid and the like. But thinking that way was always important, because one day, when you're least expecting it, a villain like Slade comes along and blindsides you. Robin intended to be ready.

As evidenced by his angry gait and extreme rumination, Robin was heavily embodying the 'don't give up' rule, and angrily failing to find the missing element from the second. The third? How could he even begin without knowing who or what he was even up against?! Robin took a seat at the desk chair and leaned back, trying to clear his mind. He needed a different approach. The way the facts stood so far was that, at approximately 2:07am, a portal bearing a very similar heat and electrical signature to Warp's own time traveling portals had opened, and two then-unidentified sleeping, pajama-clad lifeforms were pushed through by a possibly-gloved hand on a darkly clothed arm. As much as he'd tried thus far, there didn't seem to be anything more to glean from that piece of the puzzle. To his knowledge, he knew everything there was to know from the moment the kids were pushed through the portal until now. What he didn't know was... Robin sat up straight in his chair. What happened in the moments before? Robin got back up and started up his pacing again, this time with renewed vigor.

Clearly, Marie and Ryan were sleeping when they were pushed through. Their aversion to needles meant that Cyborg wasn't able to get any blood from them to test for drugs or other toxins that might have knocked them out. Thus, he couldn't know for sure whether or not they had been held somewhere else and drugged, or been drugged in the tower so they wouldn't wake up when being tossed through the portal. Robin frowned. That being said, the kids were both in their pajamas and had no recollection of ever being removed from the tower, so perhaps the details of the nature of their sleep were irrelevant to this portion of the case. Robin went back to the desk and drew out a timeline.

'2:07am - Marie and Ryan thrown through portal' Robin wrote.

He paused for a second, thinking back to last night's bedtime. They were kids, so he'd have to assume they went to bed early. As a child, his early career performing with his parents had meant a drastically altered sleep schedule, where he often went to bed at 1am. Under his mentor, the hours could be even later, depending upon the night. But he had watched enough television and met enough people to know that most kids went to bed by 9pm latest. Marie and Ryan might even be earlier.

'7pm - Marie and Ryan in bed' Robin added on an earlier segment of line.

He examined his drawing. Somewhere between those times, either one of the titans, or some other person that broke in, entered the kids' room and pushed them back in time. Wait a second. Room? He highly doubted that Marie and Ryan, children belonging to two different couples, would share a bedroom. Sure, they were setting them up in Beast Boy's bunk beds now, but Robin doubted that the future titans would force them to share rooms. And didn't Beast Boy mention something about his old room being Marie's room in future? Robin capped the pen and sat down again. The children arrived together, meaning that they must have been in the same place when pushed. Thus, if Marie and Ryan were both put to bed around 7pm in their own rooms, someone would have had to go into at least one of their rooms and carry that sleeping child into the other one's room. There was also the matter of location when it came to where Marie and Ryan came through. Starfire had given the titans a detailed account of her time in the future, including the fact that, when she jumped through Warp's portal, she ended up in the same place, just in the future. If the technology was the same, which it did appear to be, then Marie and Ryan would have had to have been in the common room when they were pushed through. Robin sighed. Then again, the kids could have fallen asleep in the living room. But what kind of parents would leave Marie and Ryan sleeping in the middle of a room they were extremely capable of destroying?! Regardless, the pusher must have had to lift them up. The camera showed the kids being pushed through, not rolled through, which meant that the person definitely had contact with them.

"That's it!" Robin exclaimed, slapping his hands on the desk as he stood.

The arm in the footage may have been gloved or covered, but who knew what the rest of their clothing looked like? Maybe their face was unmasked, or their other arm, if they had one. Maybe their skin came in contact with the kids, or a loose hair fell on their clothes...Robin's eyes shot open wide, and he rushed for the door.

"BEAST BOY!" He hollered, "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!"


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 22

"I wasn't trying on Raven's bra-I promise!" Beast Boy cried, holding his hands up in defense, then, realizing that one such garment was currently dangling off his wrist, shrieked and unsuccessfully attempted to shake it off, "I was just about to put it in the washing machine! Really!"

Robin ignored his protests and snatched the bra off of the changeling's arm.

"The kids' clothes, Beast Boy - the ones they came in! Where are they?!"

"They're over there!" Beast Boy pointed to a pile on the floor, "I-I'm sorry I didn't do it yet!" He rushed over to the laundry pile and picked them up, the bundle's height extending far beyond his own, "I'll put them in right now-"

"BEAST BOY, STOP!" Robin slammed the door to the washer shut.

"Ahh!" Beast Boy jumped at the unexpected sound, dropping the laundry back onto the floor, "you... _don't_ want me to wash them?"

Robin ignored him and shuffled through the scattered clothes.

"So, uh, does this mean Star volunteered to work on the stains?"

Robin picked up Marie's pajama shirt and set it aside.

"I was _totally_ going to try and get them out myself and not just shove them in with everything else," Beast Boy lied, "but she is SO much better at it."

Robin reached down into the pile, one hand supporting himself on the floor, digging for the foot of Ryan's onesie.

"Plus," Beast Boy put his hands behind his back and kicked at the ground inconspicuously, "it _is_ kind of her turn to do laundry."

"Starfire," Robin grunted, yanking Marie's pajama pants from under one of his capes, "is _not_ doing your chores for you," he stood up, clothes in hand, and started walking out of the room.

"If you're taking those, then I don't need to wash them - right?" Beast Boy called after him, "right?!"

Robin left without turning around.

"Nice talking to you too," Beast Boy grumbled.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Do you want me to tell Robin, or-"

"I shall tell him," Starfire dismissed Cyborg's offer, "I believe it is a discussion that is of the personal nature."

"Alright," Cyborg nodded, "fine with me," he looked to his sides, making sure they wouldn't be overheard, "what about BB and Rae? Should I tell them what we found out?"

Starfire paused, glancing back at Ryan, who was multiple feet behind them, caught up in his own little world. He was clearly oblivious to what the teens were saying. She turned back to Cyborg.

"Perhaps you should do the holding of off," she suggested, "though friends Raven and Beast Boy appear to be the ok, I am not yet convinced that they are..." she tapped her chin, thinking of the translation, "...seeing the portkins advancing?"

Cyborg stared at her blankly.

Starfire tried again, "the situation is not yet clear to them?"

"Ohh," Cyborg snapped is fingers, "you mean things aren't real for them yet? Like everything that's goin' on hasn't really sunk in?"

"Yes!" Starfire smiled, "this is my point exactly."

"Yeah," Cyborg considered her observation, "I think you're right. Beast Boy straight up took the kids _outside_ , and Raven's definitely not interested in doin' the 'Mom' thing. She doesn't even like _babysitting_."

"Agreed," Starfire looked towards Ryan, "hurry my bumgorf, or we shall lose you to the kimblarks!"

Apparently understanding what his mother had just said to him, Ryan picked up his pace, running to her side.

"Shall we go see what activities friends Marie and Raven are currently partaking in?" She asked.

Ryan smiled, "yes, please!"

"Nice manners, man!" Cyborg held up a hand, and Ryan high-fived it, using more force than Cyborg was expecting and almost detatching his arm, "...ow."

"Do not underestimate the strength of a full-blooded Tamaranean," Starfire teased.

"You can say that again," Cyborg adjusted his limb.

Starfire chuckled, flying ahead to open the common room doors.

"Raven?" Starfire asked, landing in the middle of the room and puzzled at the scene before her, "why is Marie contained within the ball of the energy?"

"Huh?" Cyborg stepped out from behind Starfire, "what are you talkin' abo-oh..."

Raven lowered herself onto the couch, abandoning her meditative pose.

"She was being distracting," Raven glared in the little girl's direction.

Marie didn't notice, eyes closed as she maintained her relaxed pose inside the black bubble. Cyborg squinted, trying to see through the opaque layer between her and the outside world.

"It looks like she's meditatin' - how is that distracting?"

Raven released her hold on the force field, letting it fall around the girl.

"-fu dogs, video games, pizza. Tofu dogs, video games, pizza. Tofu dogs, video ga-"

Raven restored the sphere.

"I now comprehend," Starfire said apologetically, "but please - why does she not use your mantra?"

"Somethin' tells me BB had somethin' to do with this..."

"What clued you in?" Raven asked sarcastically, "was it the fact that it's incredibly annoying? Or the references to video games?"

"Actually, it was the tofu dogs," Cyborg shuddered, "no kid in their right mind wants to eat those."

"Yes they do!" Beast Boy burst through the doors, behind a very serious looking Robin.

"Cyborg," the latter addressed him, "I need you to take these and scan them for touch DNA," he held the soiled clothes out to the robotic teen, "whoever pushed Marie and Ryan out of the portal must have touched them and might have left genetic evidence behind."

"Sure thing," Cyborg pushed Robin's offering away, "but I'm not doin' it now."

Robin glared at him, "and why not?"

"Because," Cyborg started, "I just spent half my day in the med bay doing science experiments on-"

Starfire shot him a pointed look, and he gulped.

"I mean, it's been a long day," Cyborg gestured to the assembeled titans, "for all of us. I think that what everybody needs is some nice down time."

"Agreed," Starfire placed a hand on Cyborg's shoulder in solidarity.

Robin considered the suggestion, disapproval evident in his face.

"Fine," he retracted his hands, "but tomorrow, this is _top_ priority."

"Got it. Now, if y'all'll excuse me," Cyborg turned to the door, "I have a new gaming system to get."

"DUUUUUDE!" Beast Boy ran after him, jumping on the large teen's back, "take me with you!"

"Absolutely not," Raven answered before Cyborg could respond, "I'm going with Cyborg."

"What?!"

Cyborg pulled Beast Boy off of his back and let him fall to the ground in a heap. The green teen quickly righted himself, brushing the dust off of his uniform.

"You don't even _like_ video games!"

"But apparently your daughter _does_ ," Raven let the ball of energy dissolve again so Beast Boy could see the fruit of his future self's labor, "I've been trying to ignore that for an hour," she informed him, "do you know how _hard_ it is to meditate when your keeping a force field up?!" She growled, pushing past him, "it's _your_ turn to deal with her."

"But-"

"You're not going, Beast Boy," Robin put a stop to the argument, "from what I saw downstairs, you have quite a lot of laundry to do."

"This is WAY more important than laundry!" Beast Boy insisted, "the future of our gaming experience depends on me being there to make sure Cy gets the best specs!"

"I'm sure Cyborg is more than capable of doing that on his own."

"This is SO unfair!" Beast Boy fell to his knees in dispair, "please let me go!" He cried, "I'll do _anything_!"

"All you should be doing is washing the rest of the clothes," Robin reiterated, walking to the door, "I'm going to put these in the evidence room."

"Wait up, Rob," Cyborg followed him, Raven trailing after.

The doors slid shut, leaving Starfire and Beast Boy to fend for themselves. The two remaining titans locked eyes, both extremely aware that each of their respective babysitting experiences had ended in disaster, or at least in a way that reflected poorly on their capability.

"So..." Beast Boy broke the silence.

"It seems we are alone with the bumgorfs," Starfire stated the obvious.

"Yeah."

They broke eye contact, shifting to watch as Ryan hovered around Marie, trying to get her attention and break her out of her trance.

"Tofu dogs, video ga-Ryan! STOP IT!" Marie's eyes grew dark, energy crackling around her.

"Marie!" Starfire shot between the children, pushing Ryan behind her, "I am certain that you were not about to do that which I believed you were going to do!"

"She was gonna attack me!" Ryan tattled, pulling at Starfire's arm.

"No-HE attacked ME!" Marie grabbed her other arm.

"NO! SHE-"

"HE-"

"MOMMY! Make her STOP!"

"DADDY!"

Beast Boy gulped. It was going to be a looooooong afternoon.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Is this what you were looking for?" Raven held up a shiny disk cover with a cartoon monkey emblazoned on it.

"Seriously Rae?!" Cyborg grabbed the plastic and smacked the cover, "this is _Mega Monkeys 5_ \- this is from like two years ago!" He replaced it on the shelf, "we're looking for _Mega Monkeys 7: The Big Banana_!" He shook his head, "did you listen to _anything_ I said in the car ride over?!"

"I was meditating, literally right next to you."

"Ohhh," Cyborg smiled sheepishly, " _that's_ why you were so quiet."

"Yeah..." Raven raised an eyebrow, "what did you think I was doing?"

"Listening in awe of my deep knowlegde of the _Mega Monkey_ lore?" He offered.

Raven sighed.

"Anyway," Cyborg steered her away, "that was the bargain rack. Only old games there," he led her away from the tacky '50% Discount!" and "Buy 2 Get 1 Free!' signs, "what we want is the new releases."

"How could I have been so blind?" Raven deadpanned.

"That's ok Rae," Cyborg clapped her on the back, a little too hard for her liking, "you're just not up on what's goin' down with the video game scene."

"The shame."

"Nah," Cyborg assured her, ignoring the sarcasm, "you just need someone show you the ropes!"

He stopped in front of a wall covered in games for a console Raven hadn't seen in the tower. Not that she paid much attention. She was, unfortunately, intimately familiar with the handheld controller for their last gaming setup, courtesy of Beast Boy and a substantial amount of superglue.

"Now, this," Cyborg gestured to the label and associated gaming console picture, "is the original model put out by..."

Raven zoned out while he continued his history lesson. It was nice of him to try and include her in another one of his passions, but she already helped him with the T-car. They already had their 'thing' - they didn't need another.

"...so in the second generation the graphics went from pixelated 2D squares to-"

"Cyborg?"

The robotic teen stopped in the middle of a riveting tale about the evolution of text-based games to quality 3D graphics, "sorry - something confusing you?"

"Can we _please_ talk about something else?"

"What?!" Cyborg's jaw dropped, "we're in a gamer's paradise!" He gestured around them, "talking about games is the whole point of being here!"

Raven folded her arms, annoyed, "you don't have to talk about them with _me_."

"Fine," Cyborg grumbled, them, muttered, "killjoy," under his breath.

"I heard that."

Cyborg sighed.

"Come on, Raven," he faced her, "what's up?"

"Nothing," she frowned, "I just don't like being forced to listen to things I have absolutely no interest in," she stepped away from the shelves, "we both needed a break - so you go get whatever you wanted to get and I'll just enjoy being left alone for a few minutes."

Cyborg sighed. Why did she always have to make things so difficult? A straight question deserved a straight answer. That's what he was taught anyway. Not that he couldn't be evasive when he needed to be. With Raven, though - it was like pulling teeth. Every crumb of information had to be worked for. It was exhausting.

"Not a good enough answer," Cyborg shook his head, "seriously - what's goin' on with you?" He found a ledge next to the game racks and sat down, one arm flung haphazardly over his metal knees, "how're you doin' with everything?"

Cyborg patted the seat beside him, but Raven ignored it.

"How would YOU be doing if you found you were married to Beast Boy?"

Cyborg's eyes widened, mouth agape, in an unfiltered look of disgust and horror.

"Exactly," Raven turned away.

"Hey!" Cyborg stood, following her, "it's not so bad! You know nothin's definite, right? Star changed her future - remember?"

"That's what everyone keeps saying."

"That's because it's _true_ ," Cyborg looked up at her, "would it really be that terrible, Rae? Getting married? Having a family?"

"With _him_?" Raven scoffed, "yes."

"What about in general?"

"Neither of those things are on my to do list."

"Really?" Cyborg asked, disbelief evident in his tone.

It caught Raven off-guard.

"Yeah...why does that surprise you?"

"I guess..." Cyborg thought for a moment, "I guess it's because I kind of thought that was the next step."

"The next step? In what?"

"Life! I mean, we can't be titans forever."

"Who says we can't?" Raven demanded.

She knew he was right. Even if they _did_ continue to fight crime together, Robin and Starfire would get married and move out, Cyborg apparently planned on abandoning them with his imaginary family - the only people left would be her and Beast Boy. It seemed she'd be stuck with him no matter what. Maybe Cyborg had a point. She _should_ start thinking about a Beast-Boy-less plan for her future.

"Nobody," Cyborg put his hands up in defense, "but that doesn't mean we will. I'm just sayin' it's unlikely."

"So what's _your_ plan?" Raven deflected, refusing to give thought to what she would do when her life collapsed around her. Maybe if she was lucky she'd be killed in battle. Then she wouldn't have to think about it.

"Wife, kids - maybe some gran'babies down the line. Maybe I'll get a few dogs or cats - monkeys even! To remind me of BB," he laughed, then, in a more pensive tone, "I'll miss that grass stain."

"That makes one of us."

"I know you don't mean that," Cyborg innocently picked some invisible dirt of his arm and flicked it away, "since you're marryin' him and all."

Raven glared, and without thinking, spat, "And what about you? If I end up with Beast Boy then who do _you_ have? Marie and Ryan haven't mentioned _anything_ about your family. You probably don't even _have_ one."

Cyborg's shocked expression grew dark.

"That was cold, Rae," he stood up, "now, if you'll excuse me," he brushed past her, "I have some games to buy."

"Cyborg! Wait!" She ran after him, pulling his arm back to slow him down.

"What?" He looked at her over his shoulder, eyes hard.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," she let go, and Cyborg turned towards her.

"It's ok," he sighed, face softening, "I know this whole situation's been rough."

"I just...don't like the idea that Marie and Ryan's world could be my future."

"Why not? They seem like good kids," Cyborg offered, then amended, "out of control, but good."

Raven forced herself to smile at his comment. His words were not at all reassuring, but she desperately needed this inquiry into her future to stop.

Satisfied by the small upturn of her lips, Cyborg continued.

"And no, I'm not worried that the kids didn't mention my family," he grinned, "I told you - I'm movin' out. My wife and kids won't be anywhere _near_ Marie and Ryan most of the time. The rest of y'all were the crazy ones that decided to keep living in the tower."

Raven rolled her eyes. Then, before Cyborg could ask again, walked ahead of him.

"We should go get your games," she ordered, "we can't leave Beast Boy and Starfire alone for too long."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Ryan? RYAN! Oh no..." Beast Boy pulled at his hair, "Ryyyyaaaaan? Where aaaaaare yoooooouuuuu?" he called in frantuc sing-song.

He turned the basket of clean sheets upside-down. No sign or Ryan in the basket. Beast Boy dove into the pile, hands groping for any metamorphosis of the green child.

"DUDE!" He popped up for air, Starfire's magenta pillowcase atop his head, "come on! You can't keep doing this!"

Beast Boy strained his ears listening for a response. As expected, there was none. His ears drooped.

"Ugh," he shook his head until the pillowcase fell off, "why couldn't Star just take him?!"

He knew why, of course. Starfire was capable of sitting quietly while Marie finished meditating. The green duo were not. So Starfire had entrusted her beloved bumgorf into Beast Boy's incapable hands, warning him that, should anything happen to Ryan, her wrath would be 'comparable to that of the gordenak at feeding time'. Whatever that meant. Beast Boy assumed it was bad.

"Ryan! This isn't fun-ahh!" His foot caught on Robin's top sheet as he tried to step out of the pile, causing him to fall face-first onto the ground, "ow..."

"Ribbi-SWOOSH."

"Hey! Don't laugh! That wasn't-"

"Ribbi-SWOOSH."

"Wait a second..." Beast Boy crawled towards the washing machine, "Ryan?"

"Rib-"

"EEK!"

Beast Boy scrambled to his feet. There, in the window, was a frog being flogged with soap, enjoying the spin cycle. Or not enjoying. Beast Boy could never tell what frogs were thinking. Their clammy faces weren't easy to read.

"Stop button stop button stop button..." Beast Boy frantically pushed everything he coukd find, only succeeding in increasing the amount of water and making it spin faster, "come on come on come on..."

After another moment of searching, he finally gave up and tried opening the door.

"Ughhhh," he groaned against the force of the lock, pulling the door towards him in bursts of strength, "WHY-argh-WON'T-ugh-YOU-grrr-OPE-AHHHHH!"

A wave of water and wet clothes hit Beast Boy in the chest, as the door flew off its hinges.

"Ugh," Beast Boy lay on the floor, dazed, feeling the soapy puddle work its way into the fabric of his uniform, "Ryan?"

"Ribbit."

Beast Boy looked up, rolling his eyes towards his forehead.

"Ribbit."

"AHHHHH!" He jumped up, swiping at the frog on his head, "GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!"

The frog tumbled to the ground, transforming into a hysterically laughing Ryan.

"Why did you do that?!" Beast Boy squeezed the excess water from his uniform, "were you trying to _kill_ yourself?!"

"Be-because," Ryan could barely speak between his laughs, "it wa-it was f-funny!"

"Ok fine, yeah, I'm sure it was _really_ funny making me freak out by junping on my head, but why were you in the washing machine?!" Beast Boy paced the room, gesticulating frantically, "I mean, first you try and swim down the drain in the bathtub, then you almost got your brains scrambled in the washing machine - what is WRONG with you?!"

Ryan quieted his laughter to a small chuckle.

"I like the washing machine," he grinned, "it's like a roller coaster!" He got up, moving his arms in big circles, "VROOM...SWOOSH...WHOOOAAA...BA-BOOM!"

Beast Boy folded his arms, unimpressed by his impression of the carnival ride.

"That was SO not cool, dude."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Is it? No...it can't be..." Cyborg picked up a black and green game with an octopus emblazoned on the front, "GALACTIC ENVOY: INVASION OF THE OCTOPREDATORS!" He bounced in excitement, "Wait until BB sees this!"

"Octopi attacking people in space? Sounds amazing," Raven deadpanned.

"It IS!" Cyborg ignored her sarcasm, "we've been dyin' to play the newest edition!"

" _So_ glad to hear there are more."

"Yeah! I mean, 'Galactic Envoy: Sharkatron Shockdown' was pretty sweet, but robo-planets are overdone. Octopus-people? That's where it's at."

"Space and sea creatures. Interesting combination," Raven noted.

"Oh," Cyborg waved the box in her face, pointing to the myriad of additional titles referenced on the back, "it's not just sea stuff - there was 'Galactic Envoy: Maze of the Orangutaurs', and 'Galactic Envoy: Attack of the Liotigebears' and -"

"I get the picture," Raven stopped him.

Cyborg shrugged, "well, now that we have _that_ little gem, and the rest of the minimum game requirements," Raven looked skeptically at the large collection of plastic in Cyborg's basket, "and the gaming console up at the front, there's just one more thing on our to do list."

"Paying for everything and going home?" Raven offered hopefully.

"Nope!" Cyborg grinned widely, "we're gonna grab some games for the kids!"

"...what?" Raven raised her eyebrow, "why do _they_ need games?"

"'Cause they're fun!" Cyborg cried, then added, "and they need SOMETHING to take up their time. So far they've destroyed the tower, tried to kill each other, puked all over the living room -"

"I see your point."

"So," Cyborg led her over to the kids' section, "what should we get?"

Raven watched with disinterest as Cyborg rifled through the options, making an effort to pick things with some sort of educational value. He also grabbed a few junior versions of his own favorites, like 'Mega Monkey Preschool'. He glanced at Raven over his shoulder.

"Anything you want to get for them?"

Cyborg's selections had not particularly impressed the empath. Sure, it was technically educational to play a game with puzzle pieces that, when put together, create a letter of the alphabet, but you know what would be better? Actually reading a book. She would admit, the game where you had to find a certain number of like items had value when it came to learning how to count. However, just counting things in the tower, like the number of rooms they shouldn't be going unto or the things they shouldn't be touching, would be equally as effective. Besides, Raven was still of the opinion that video games rotted your brains. Just look at Beast Boy. Getting them hooked on a meaningless and detrimantal form of entertainment would do nothing but waste their time. Which was, of course, exactly what Cyborg intended. But there were other, better ways that they could be spending their time. The solution was clearly to just tell Cyborg to forget it. Then again, there _was_ another way...

"That one," Raven pointed at a rack a few rows away, being tended by a very large, very ominous cardboard figure.

Cyborg grew pale.

"Uh...Rae," he chuckled nervously, "that's not really a _kid's_ game..."

"You said I could pick anything."

"Yeah, but Ryan and Marie-"

"Are in need of a good warning. Video games rot your brains, but since that hasn't you or the other boys to stop playing them, I'm going to try something more...effective."

"Rae, this isn't going to go down well."

"Actually, I think it's going to work perfectly. By the end of the night, neither of them will ever want to touch another game station again."

"But-"

"I'm buying it. End of story," Raven pushed past him towards the registers.

Cyborg sighed. His teammates were _not_ going to like this...

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Please - what is the difference between the day clothes and the night clothes?"

"Uh," Beast Boy scratched his head, "people want to look good when they go outside, 'cause other people can see them and stuff," he examined the clean, but wrinkled pile of clothes he and Starfire had dumped on his lower bunk, "but when no one's around, everyone just wants to wear whatever's comfy."

"This, I understand," Starfire dismissed his explanation. The Tamaranean had been on Earth long enough to know what pajamas were, "I am merely confused at the lack of the night shirts. Are these not the day shirts Cyborg gave to us?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy shrugged, "Cy didn't really try that hard. T-shirts can be used for anything, so, you know."

Starfire shook her head. Why must she be the only person in the tower to care about fashion? Though, of course, fashion was the least of the problems here.

"Ok, so, let's give them each some pants," he flung the articles at Starfire, hitting her in the face.

"You are aware that you could do the handing of them to me instead of the throwing, yes?" Starfire asked sarcastically.

Beast Boy ignored her, too immersed in the decision before him.

"What to do, what to do..." he tapped his chin with his index finger, "what about this one for Ryan?"

He held up the one with the medicinal green leaf on it, and Starfire shook her head.

"It is too...the boring."

"What about this one?" He lifted the oversized 'Daddy Issues' shirt Robin had abandoned, which had somehow ended up with the kid clothes, "he could wear it as a nightgown!"

Starfire shook her head.

"Come onnnn Star!" Beast Boy whined, "they're going to be home any minute!"

"And think how pleased they will be when the children are there to greet them in the attractive outfits!"

"Ugh," Beast Boy flopped down on the bed, pushing the clothes to the side, "YOU choose then."

"Hmm..." Starfire scoured through her options, "ooh!" She squealed, "is this not adorable?!"

She held up a bright pink T-shirt with a yellow bow drawn onto it along with a tag reading 'No Returns'.

"Uh...sure..." Beast Boy tried not to grimace at the garish design, "DUDE!" he shot his hand out and grabbed the shirt that caught his eye, "'Lil' Gamer! This'll be perfect for tonight!"

He dashed out of the room to try and locate Marie. To be honest, neither of the titans were completely sure of where their charges were. Last they saw them, Ryan was in the bathroom wrapped in a towel after his 'bath' in the washing machine, complaining about how he hadn't been allowed in the dryer, and Marie had been seated in the kitchen with a bowl of cereal before her since she'd been 'so hungry she could eat cow-Ryan.' Needless to say, Ryan was not fond of that image. Thus their separate locations. Beast Boy and Starfire weren't _hiding_ , exactly, but they _had_ been taking an extended break. Or at least Beast Boy had. Starfire believed that Ryan and Marie should be given the opportunity to prove themselves trustworthy enough to stay in one place for the ten minutes it took for her to help Beast Boy bring the laundry and unworn clothes to his room to pick out pajamas for the kids. Robin's schedule would probably start tomorrow, but tonight, it was up to the two of them to do what needed to be done. Starfire determined that this meant putting the kids to bed. Beast Boy felt that this meant prepping them to join him in a night of intense gaming.

"Marie!" Beast Boy bounded into the kitchen, "you have to put your gamer shirt on! Rae and Cy are almost back! We have to be ready!"

As luck would have it, Marie _was_ still in the kitchen, but she was dangerously close to lighting herself on fire.

"EEK!" Beast Boy rushed over to the stove and turned it off, "DUDE! What are you DOING?!"

"I want pasta. You always make the water hot first," she informed him.

"What happened to your cereal?!" He cried, incredulous, "didn't we JUST feed you?"

"I didn't want cereal," she gestured over her shoulder at the couch, "I gave it to Ryan."

"Aww man..." Beast Boy walked over to the living area, which had milk spills all over it and cereal crumbs scattered over the room. If Beast Boy didn't know better he'd say they'd been attacked by a fruity-Os monster.

"Ryan, my bumgorf!" Starfire glided into the room, "look at what I have done the selecting of for your slumber tonight!"

"Hey, Star," Beast Boy called, "can you get like...a sponge or something?"

"Glad to see the tower's still standing," a monotone drawl distracted Starfire from her task.

"Friend Raven!" She flew over to the empath, "how was your excursion to the store of games?"

"Fine," Cyborg answered, stepping out from behind Raven.

"DID YOU GET IT?!" Beast Boy jumped on Cyborg, eagerly clambering over his back to try and catch a glimpse of the new gaming system.

"Yeah, yeah," Cyborg grunted, "I got it."

"Then why so grumpy?" Beast Boy frowned, fang jutting out of his lower lip.

"Raven picked out a game."

"RAVEN?!" Beast Boy ran over to the new object of his intrigue, "YOU picked out a game?! Are you going to play with us?! I bet you're an awesome player - you're always like 'games are stupid' and 'Beast Boy, you're losing IQ points' and stuff but really, in your dark secret-y room you have your own stash of games and you're like 'BAM!' and 'three button combo!' and a total rockstar and you've just been hustling us and preparing for this one moment where you're just going to be like 'oh maybe I'll try ONE game' and then BOOM - you beat EVERYONE, and then-"

A black band of energy slapped against Beast Boy's mouth, and he struggled in vain to pull it off as Raven walked by.

"Hey, kids," she called in her most endearing voice, which came out more like an awkward command than a honey-sweet suggestion, "I got you a game," said children rushed over, all thoughts of sustenance abandoned, "do you want to play it?"

"YEAH!" Marie shouted, jumping up and down, "Daddy never lets us play these!"

"He...doesn't let you play video games?" Maybe Raven had underestimated the future Beast Boy's parenting abilities. If he could respect Raven's aversion to the idea of raising technology-addicted drones, then maybe their whole future marriage thing wouldn't be a complete disast-

"Of course he does. Duh," Marie rolled her eyes.

"But not Wicked Scary!" Ryan chimed in, shaking with excitement, "this is SO COOL!"

"Uh, no it's not," Beast Boy, finally loosed from his energy gag, grabbed the game from Raven's outstretched hand, "this is X-Rated stuff! You can't let them play this!"

"Why not? I'm Marie's mother, aren't I? And I say she gets to play."

"Can I play, Mommy?" Ryan hovered in the air around Starfire's face, "Can I? Can I? CAN I?"

"I suppose...if Marie is allowed to do the playing," Starfire reasoned aloud, "then it is only fair that you be allowed to as well."

"Thank you thank you THANK YOU!" Ryan flung his arms around her neck in a fierce grip that made Starfire smile, then shot down to his friend.

"What do you MEAN I can't play?!" Marie's eyes grew red as she argued with her father, "you SAID we were playing video games together tonight! You have my special video game shirt!"

Beast Boy hid the offending item behind his back.

"LIAR!" Dark energy started emanating from the child.

"You can play, ok? Just calm down," Raven addressed the girl, "just let Cyborg set the game box...console...station...thing up."

"YAY!"

"Can we help you Uncle Cyborg?"

"Uncle Cyborg - how do we play?"

"Why does the game station look so old, Uncle Cyborg?"

The uncle in question groaned.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

An hour later, Ryan and Marie sat, fully clothed, Marie and Beast Boy in their matching gaming shirts, in front of the television, consoles in hand. Ominous music sounded from the speakers, alerting the players of the terrors to come.

"You know guys," Beast Boy gulped, "it's not too late to turn it off!"

"SHH!" Marie smacked his arm, "it's STARTING."

"Welcome, players," a crackly, creaky voice greeted them at the start menu, "to the town of..."

Raven forced her eyes away from the screen, immersing herself in her book. The movie was terrifying enough - she didn't need to watch the interactive version. This was just an excercise in brainwashing. If this didn't turn the kids off games, she didn't know what would. The only reason she had opted to stay up with Beast Boy and the kids was to make sure they actually played like they were supposed to. Still, she envied her other teammates, all comfortably involved in non-terrifying activities.

"MUAHAHAHAHA!"

Raven jumped at the unexpected cackle, glad that none of the engrossed players noticed. She clutched her cloak tighter around her chest, trying to remind herself that she was doing the right thing. Just one night - then it would be over. She'd never have to have a child ask her if they could stop reading or doing something productive in lieu of gaming. It would be worth it.

Or so she hoped.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 23

"This is SO your fault."

Raven glared at the boy she was currently bound to.

"Repeating it every five seconds isn't helpful."

"Helpful?!" Beast Boy cried, "You know what would have been helpful?! NOT forcing us to finish the scariest game ever made!"

"Keep your voice DOWN," Raven whispered harshly, "we're never going to get out of here if she wakes up again."

Beast Boy groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation and smacking it against the base of his bunk bed.

"OW-"

Another band of energy slapped against his mouth, preventing him from finishing his exclamation. He tried to fold his arms in annoyance before remembering that the upper portion of his limbs and torso were currently immobile.

"Are you done?"

Beast Boy nodded, relieved that at least one part of his body would be freely movable.

"Ugh. How much longer do you think we'll be stuck here?"

Beast Boy struggled against their bonds, searching, yet again, for a weak spot. He knew better than to try and morph himself out of it. Not only had that not worked the last time he tried it, but the band around then got tighter, drawing him closer to the increasingly irate empath. Not that she had any right to be. It _was_ her fault that they were in this situation. Even if she didn't like hearing it. And, Beast Boy noted, with no small measure of frustration, she _still_ hadn't apologized. At least she was stuck here with him. He would have been SO much more mad if he was the only one that got roped into this. Literally.

Needless to say, Raven's plan had been an absolute fiasco. As expected, the kids were terrified of the game, which was clearly intended for more mature audiences. The fear factor was only slightly higher than that of the gore. It was by far the most terrifying and bloodiest game Beast Boy had ever seen, let alone Raven and the kids. He would definitely have backed out and turned the game off, content to never open its freaky cover again - but Raven had told the kids that if they didn't play the game to its completion, they would never be allowed to play any video games ever again. Obviously, this was a ridiculous claim, given that Raven was not policing the game console, and the tower's two game fanatics would have completely ignored her anyway. However, Beast Boy said nothing when she made the statement, fearing some sort of later backlash, and the kids believed her every word. So much so that, when Beast Boy begged Raven to let them stop ten minutes later, they yelled at him to be quiet and keep playing, despite the terror in their eyes. Raven was not well versed in video games, and was thus not aware of the number of hours of gameplay one needed to complete something as complex as the hellish abyss that was Wicked Scary, so Beast Boy had ended the night at the end of the first quest, with Raven and the children none the wiser.

Unfortunately, the first segment of the game took hours to complete, so both children were not only scared out of their minds, but also extremely sleep deprived and edgy. It was not a good combination. Ryan had tried to put up a strong front, insisting that he wasn't scared in the least, but the way he jumped at every footstep, and the way his voice quivered when he told them that he really should sleep with his mother 'to protect her - just in case', was evidence to the contrary. This left Marie, who was eerily quiet as they walked down the hall after dropping Ryan off with a welcoming but discombobulated Starfire. Raven had been impressed with how well she controlled her powers, considering the turmoil the empath could feel radiating from her. Of course, as soon as they got to Beast Boy's bedroom, and Marie realized that she would be spending the night alone without Ryan, that immediately changed.

Beast Boy and Raven had been forcibly pulled back into the room, the doors slamming shut behind them, as everything around them was enveloped in black. There were tears and wails and a deep demonic voice demanding that the teens remain with her for the night. Raven had, without thinking, instantly responded that there was no way that was happening. This resulted in the closet being thrown open, the door ripped clean out if the wall, headed straight towards them. Beast Boy offered himself up as a sacrifice, volunteering to take the top bunk, and clambering atop it as a chimpanzee. This calmed Marie somewhat, until she saw Raven still standing. Beast Boy had told Raven to just get up on the bed with him. The way he saw it, Marie would pass out within half an hour, and Raven could leave. No biggie. Raven saw it as a direct attack on her free will, and had informed her that if Beast Boy was there, there was no need for Raven to stay too. Marie responded the way any superpowered child would - by using her powers to get what she wanted. Which is why Raven and Beast Boy were currently being squished together by a large black ribbon of energy, sitting on the floor against Marie's bed.

"How is she even _doing_ this?!" Beast Boy whined, wiggling in his restraints, "how are her powers even working in her sleep?!"

"I'm pretty sure I've seen you napping as a cat."

"That's different!"

"Sure," Raven said sarcastically, "and my powers didn't create a haunted house in my sleep."

"You were awake for most of that!"

Raven shrugged.

"And why," Beast Boy continued, "would you think that getting the kids a game based on a movie that scared you enough to do that, would be a good idea?!"

"I'm not having this discussion."

"UGH!" Beast Boy growled under his breath, "why won't you just admit that you made a bad decision?!"

"I'm tired. I'm going to try and get some sleep," she redirected, "not that it'll be easy with you snoring in my ear."

"Seriously?!" Beast Boy stared at her, "I make bad decisions ALL THE TIME! Everyone yells at me or makes fun of me - why can't we ever talk about anything YOU do?!"

"Because it rarely happens?" Raven offered, dryly.

"It's not fair," Beast Boy grumbled.

"Life isn't fair," Raven affirmed, "and it's almost light out. I want to get a few hours of sleep before Robin wakes up and yells at us."

"US?! This is YOUR fault!" Beast Boy struggled to keep his voice down.

Raven tried in vain to roll onto her side, away from Beast Boy, but the energy, which Raven had to her dismay realized she could not phase through, would not allow it. She settled for turning her head away from him and leaning back on the edge of the mattress.

"Fine," Beast Boy scowled, leaning into the bedframe behind them, "but I am SO blaming you when Robin asks what happened."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

Robin shot up in bed, flung his covers off, and sprinted for the main ops room. He was greeted by Cyborg, who was already pulling up the details on the disturbance.

"Looks like it's Plasmus," Cyborg answered his leaders unvoiced question, "east side of town."

"Right," he nodded, turning to the rest of the team, "Titans, let's g-Titans?"

Robin looked around the room, trying to spot his missing teammates.

"Robin?" The main doors slid open, revealing an exhausted Starfire, rubbing at her eyes, "what is the cause of the ala-" she yawned, "-rm?"

"Star?"

Robins annoyance dissipated. He knew she had gone to bed early last night - she had stopped by his room to say goodnight and remind him to eat something. Which, of course, he did not. It wasn't like her to be this tired after a full night of sleep.

"What's wrong?"

"I had the company last night," Robin's eyes widened, then narrowed into a glare, "but my bedmate would not do the sleeping. He kept doing the waking and holding my arms very tightly - I am afraid I have the bruises," she rubbed her arms.

" _Who_ exactly was sleeping in your bed?" Robin asked through clenched teeth.

"R-ry," she stifled another yawm, "-an."

Robin's temper cooled, while Cyborg rolled his eyes and Starfire remained oblivious.

"Why?" Robin asked, "I thought he and Marie had their own room now."

"They do," Starfire agreed, :"however, Ryan was having difficulty doing the slweping and was suffering from the female horses of the night."

"Why would he be having nightmares?"

Starfire and Cyborg looked away, both pretending to be busy examining other things.

"I said, WHY would he be having nightmares?" Robin repeated, anger increasing.

"Please...I am...most unsuited for battle-I must go do the freshening of up!" Starfire made a beeline for the doors.

"No! We don't have time for that!" He called after her.

"It's not like we can do kuch with only three of us, Rob. It'll take twice as long without Bb and Rae."

"Beast Boy..." Robin stormed out of common room, Cyborg on his heels.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Beast Boy!" Raven hissed again, trying to nudge him awake, "you need to get up!"

"Five minutes Rita...tired...don't want...Mento..."

"Beast Boy," she tried, a little louder, "get off of me!"

"Robotman...wedgie...not nice..."

"Beast Boy..." she growled.

The time for leniency was over. A controlled spark of energy shocked Beast Boy's exposed cheek, but he merely swatted it away.

"Rita...toaster attack..."

Raven strained to look at the little girl behind her, still sound asleep. Was it worth it to wake her up? Raven sighed.

"Is vegan butter...so good..."

Raven grimaced as her damp leotard was covered with a new layer of drool from Beast Boy's open mouth. How his head had ended up on her shoulder was obvious. People do tend to move in their sleep - his head had probably just fallen off to the side. But whatever had caused him to burrow his head into her neck like a bear in a cave was NOT acceptable. His dreams kept alternating between breakfast with the Doom Patrol and make out sessions with unnamed girls. This had resulted in an inordinate amount of Beast Boy's saliva all over her neck and upper arm. It was completely uncomfortable. Raven was just glad that Beast Boy hadn't actually tried to kiss her - his dream make out sessions tended to be him kissing at the air - but still drooling heavily. Raven tried to lay her head back on the bed, giving up for the time being, but Beast Boy, subconsciously feeling his pillow pull away, unexpectedly pushed his head deeper into shoulder. This caused an automatic constriction of Raven's neck, forcing her head on top of Beast Boy's.

"Mm," Beast Boy smiled in his sleep, "blanky...soft..."

"BEAST BOY!" Robin stormed into the room, "WHAT DID YOU-uh, Raven? What are you-"

"AHH!" Beast Boy responded to Robin's shouts, springing his head up...and directly into Raven's chin.

"Ahh!" Raven tried, in vain, to rub her chin, but their bonds were still very much in place.

"Man..." Cyborg looked over Robin's shoulder, "what _happened_?"

"IT WAS RAVEN'S FAULT!" Beast Boy cried before anyone could say anything else, "SHE MADE ME DO IT!"

"Do what?" Robin raised a brow.

"She got this super creepy video game that's like totally uncool for kids and MADE me play it with the kids - she threatened them and I was scared of her and the game and the kids so I just went with it and I wanted to stop but I COULDN'T because the kids were all 'we'll never get to play again if we stop' and then Ryan was all 'I wanna sleep with Starfire' and Marie was all 'DON'T LEAVE ME' and everything was shaking and Raven was all 'I'm leaving'and Marie was like 'NO YOU'RE NOT'and-"

"QUIET!" Robin ordered, rubbing his head from the information overload, "Raven - what were you THINKING?!"

"I didn't want the kids playing video games," she shrugged, "it seemed like a good way to stop them from playing."

"Did you KNOW about this?!" Robin demanded of Cyborg.

"Uh..."

"CYBORG!"

"Mommy?" Marie sat up, roused by the commotion, "Daddy?"

"We're here," Beast Boy answered, fearful of further punishment from his daughter should he fail to respond.

"Not like we had a choice," Raven mumbled under her breath.

"Can you, uh, let us go now?" Beast Boy chuckled nervously, "please?"

"Are you leaving?" She furrowed her brow.

"Yes," Robin answered, "we have a mission. Plasmus escaped and we need-"

"NO!" Marie screamed, clearly still traumatized from the night before.

"Wait!" Beast Boy struggled to calm her, "what if only ONE of us goes? Huh? Would that be ok?"

He turned to Robin, "I mean _someone_ has to stay with the kids, right?"

"I suppose," Robin gritted his teeth.

"Then what if,," Beast Boy turned back to Marie, "Mommy stayed with you?!"

Raven's eyes grew red.

"BEAST BO-"

"Ok," Marie nodded, "Mommy can stay."

"So...can you let me go now? Uh...sweetie?" The foreign term of endearment rolled off Beast Boy's tongue like an ill-formed rock, but Marie did not appear to mind. She nodded, and released the energy band.

"Aww yeah!" Beast Boy fist-bumped the air, "I'm free baby!"

Raven tried to make an inconspicuous dash for the door, but Cyborg stopped her.

"Uh-uh-uh," he wagged his finger, "you heard the little missy. Looks like it's _Mommy's_ turn to babysit."

The three boys started down the hall together, leaving the empaths behind.

"Wait, Robin," Beast Boy stepped in front of Robin, "are you SERIOUSLY not going to yell at her?!"

"We can talk about this later," Robin pushed past him, "right now, we have a criminal to stop."

"But DUUUUUDE!" he cried, "how come every time _I_ get in trouble we have TONS of time for you to yell at me, but when RAVEN gets in trouble-"

"Raven didn't endanger anyone's lives. The tower's in one piece, and we REALLY don't have time for this right now," Robin reiterated, then called, "Starfire! We need to go! NOW!"

"Tough break, BB," Cyborg patted him on the shoulder before bounding past him.

"Crummy Robin...always favoring Raven..." Beast Boy grumbled to himself as he ran after them, Starfire trailing behind.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Mommy?" Marie sniffled, "is the tentacle man with the hood going to get me?"

"No," Raven said clinically, "he's merely a figment of the twisted imaginations of the game's creators. There's nothing to be afraid of. He isn't real."

"Really?" Marie sniffled again, drying her watery eyes.

"Yup," Raven stepped towards the door, "so...you're good now, right? I'm going to go take a show-"

"Can I have a hug Mommy?" Marie held her arms out, lip quivering, making it extremely clear that Raven's explanation had done nothing.

"Do I have to?"

Marie's eyes went red.

Raven sighed and walked back to the bed, unenthusiastically opening her arms so Marie could climb onto her lap and bury her head in her chest, adding her own hot tears and snot to the bodily fluids her father had left on Raven's leotard. Why did watching kids involve being covered in so many disgusting things? Being covered in toxic goo from Plasmus would probably be more sanitary.

"Why aren't you hugging back?" A demonic voice asked.

Raven loosely wrapped her arms around the little girl.

"Tighter!"

She sighed as she increased the pressure around the heaving child.

"Mommy?!" Another voice called from the hall, "Mommy?! Where'd you go?!"

"Oh, great..."

"Mommy?!" Ryan approached Marie's room, "Marie, have you seen-" then, recognizing the teen in the room, "Aunt Raven! Tentacle man took my Mommy!"

"No, he didn't," Raven tried to keep calm in the face of what she felt was WAY too much unwarranted emotion, "she's just out on a mission with everyone else."

Ryan nodded, comprehending. However, much like Marie, he was still not in a very stable emotional state, and waking up to find his mother gone was still taking its toll. Thus, Raven found herself uncomfortably clutching two sobbing four year olds against her, muttering some very unconvincing 'there there's.

She really hated to admit it to herself, but Wicked Scary, the video game, was a TERRIBLE idea.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 24

CREEEEEAAAAAK-BOOM!

Robin somersaulted out of the way just in time as a newly-bent lamppost collapsed baside him.

"Gurggleargh!" Plasmus shot another glob of sewage at him, narrowly missing his head as he ducked.

Robin dashed behind the nearest car before Plasmus could launch another attack.

"Cyborg!" Robin shouted into his communicator over the sounds of Starfire's starbolts, "where are you?"

The cybernetic teen had disappeared from battle a few minutes before, and though that may not be a lot of time for someone to have stepped away in a normal situation, in the titans' line of work, it was extremely concerning. In that time someone could bleed out, or be kidnapped, or knocked unconscious - none of the possibilities were good.

"Cyborg?!"

The communicator's screen showed nothing but static. Robin frowned.

WHOOSH-CLANG!

Beast Boy was flung into the building behind Robin, spraying glass everywhere and denting the steel frame. A green tortoise poked its head out of the rubble before transforming back into the green teen.

"Dude! What are you DOING back here?" He cried, "we're getting crushed out there!"

"Have you seen Cyborg?" Robin demanded.

"Huh?" Beast Boy cocked his head, "I-"

SPLOOSH!

Beast Boy was hit by a chunk of Plasmus, who had taken the opportunity to send some of his sludgy makeup right at the teen's head.

"Ugh!" Beast Boy whined, shaking his head to dislodge the gunk, "I'm going to be cleaning that out of my ears for weeks!"

"Friends," Starfire called, in the midst of an aerial assault, "I could use the assistance!"

Beast Boy jumped back into action, ramming into the monster as a, well, _ram_.

With Plasmus distracted, Robin tried Cyborg's communicator one more time.

"Cyborg? Cyborg?! Come in!"

Nothing.

Robin pocketed his comminucator before jumping back into the fray.

"Hyaaahhh!"

Robin jammed his bowstaff into one of Plasmus' green pustules, and the creature screamed as bright green ooze spilled out. Robin dodged the brownish hands as Plasmus clawed at his head, trying to locate the cause of his pain. Starfire nodded, and Robin dove off, easily caught by his girlfriend.

"Star-do you know where Cyborg is?" He asked as she let him down.

"I have not," she shook her head, "but he has been absent for more of the time than is the normal."

"Glugggsch," Plasmus gurgled as he approached, Beast Boy's latest attack as an elephant trying to stomp him out failing miserably.

Starfire took to the skies again, bolts and laser vision already targeting the monster as she rose.

"Ughhh," Beast Boy landed next to Robin, "I'm still totally mad at her, but dude, I kinda wish Raven were here. She'd take Plasmus out in like a second."

Robin frowned. Fights with Plasmus usually ended with him escaping or them knocking him out, but the most efficient way to defeat him was definitely Raven's soul self. In ten seconds, she could send her soul self into the disgusting depths of Plasmus' being, locate his core, and put him to sleep from the inside. Sure, it took a lot out of her. But boy, was it effective. With Cyborg missing, they really could have used her.

Robin sighed.

"I wish she were here too."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Raven would gladly have joined the battle with Plasmus, or done anything to get out of the situation she was currently in.

"Mommy?" Marie whined, "can I look now?"

"NO!" Raven all but shrieked, "DON'T MOVE!"

Marie gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Then can Ryan and I go play?"

Raven really, REALLY wanted to say yes. Was it really such a big deal if they destroyed the tower again?

"Please Aunt Raven?" Ryan chimed in.

"We're booooored!"

"NO," Raven growled, "just stay where you are. I'll be done in five minutes."

"You said that before!" Marie cried.

"That's because you asked the same thing ten seconds ago."

"But Mommy," Marie started, turning to Raven, "I-"

"DON'T TURN AROUND!"

Marie's head shot back.

"Just sit there and be quiet for five minutes. PLEASE."

Raven leaned her head against the wall, letting the shampoo wash off, and clenched her fists. Why, oh why had she done this to herself?

Ryan, growing fidgety, tried to sneak a peek over his shoulder.

"RYAN! I SEE YOU!" Raven shouted.

The two children giggled. It was now a game to them. Wonderful.

Raven didn't regret her decision, exactly. She really DID need this. She could literally feel the germs soaking into her skin after her experience in Beast Boy's room, and she knew that, as soon as her friends got back from fighting their grossest and filthiest enemy, the bathroom would be out of commission. Toxic goo trumps drool and snot every time. It was now or never. Unfortunately, as the current sole guardian of the mini titans, she couldn't just let them roam free. Who knew what else they'd destroy? No one wanted to have to spend yet another day rebuilding the main ops room. Cyborg probably wouldn't even wqnt to bother fixing Beast Boy's closet door. And besides - there was another issue. The two traumatized four year olds, though finished crying, were deathly afraid of being alone without Raven present. She had hoped she could put them in a bubble of her power out in the hall while she showered, but no sooner had she closed the door than both children started sobbing and wailing and crying for their Mother and Aunt, respectively. Rather than wait to see if Marie could break things while encased in her mother's energy, Raven released them, and did something she had hoped to never have to do.

It was common knowledge that Raven was modest. Sure, she wore a leotard that showed off her physique and bare legs - but that was just part of the Azarathian wardrobe she had grown up with. Capes often got hot, so it made sense that one would have lighter garment beneath it. The cape, of course, was something she rarely took off, save for sleeping. The titams were acutely aware of how uncomfortable Raven was any time she was unable to raise her hood over her face, let alone when her entire cape was off. Without it she felt, well, _naked_. And at this point, she had no intention of intentionally taking it off for anyone to see. If Raven removed her cape in front of someone - on purpose, it would be like the equivalent of someone bearing their soul. It was extremely personal to her - her body. Raven immensely disliked showing any vulnerabilities, though, of course, she did have them. Removing any of her clothes - cape included, was something that would have to be worked for, and earned, and even then would probably not happen. So removing all of her clothes while _two_ people she had known for less than a week, both of who had yet to even enter her good graces, was something both extremely uncomfortable and, in her opinion, wholly inappropriate. True, many young children may see their parents in varying degrees of nakedness. However, though they viewed her as such, Raven most certainly did NOT. This was just weird and horrible and yet unavoidable because she NEEDED this shower.

Thus, not wanting to waste any time in case the rest of the team got home early and forced her out, she merely grabbed the children, sat them down on the tiled floor, turned them towards the door, told them not to move or, more importantly, look behind them, and thanked Azar that the shower curtain was at least a little opaque. Technically you couldn't see through the waterproof fabric, but Raven was uncomfortable even with the children seeing her silhouette, and so her reactions to their attempted peeking was one of outrage.

"STOP IT!"

The empath had just washed a stray glob of conditioner out of her eye, when she spotted Marie glancing over her shoulder.

"MARIE!" She tried to come up with a good threat, "you won't get to..." she racked her brain, "to..." and came up with nothing, "just STOP IT! OK?!"

Marie turned around, still giggling.

Raven bit her lip, trying not to scream.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos," she closed her eyes, breathing deeply, "azarath, metrio-"

Laughing. Raven's eyes grew red.

"IF YOU TURN AROUND ONE MORE TIME I SWEAR TO AZAR-"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"I'm going to kill him" Beast Boy growled, "CYBORG! If this is some sort of lame prank..."

"Friend Beast Boy," Starfire stepped towards him as he threw scraps of metal behind him, searching for his friend, "I do not believe this is the prank."

Beast Boy threw a mutilated car door aside in anger.

"Beast Bo-" she tried to place a hand on his back.

"I know," he shoved her off, starting on a new pile, "I just can't believe we lost him. I mean, he's half giant robot! How could we _lose_ him?!" He sank to his knees, "He just...he can't just be _gone_...can he?"

Starfire moved towards him, crouching as if to kneel beside him, but Robin interrupted them.

"I found another disk on Plasmus," he held the sludge-covered metal out, recovered from the slop around the now-sleeping man at Plasmus' core.

"What do you think it means?" Starfire asked, "do you believe...perhaps Slade..."

She didn't voice the rest of her thought. Starfire, of all people, was aware of how obsessive Robin got when it came to his arch nemesis. It wasn't healthy.

"This isn't Slade's trademark," Robin shook his head, "but it is similar. There must be some connection," he conjectured, "I'll take a look back at the tower and see if this one has any new information. The other one we collected had nothing useful except for the marking. It looked like whatever machinery might have been used to make Cinderblock and Plasmus stronger must have self destructed or fallen off. Or maybe it was never connected to the disks. They could just be clues..."

Starfire watched as his rambling continued. He was doing it again. She shook her head. The other titans didn't know what it was like for her. They simply sat by while Robin drove himself near madness in the evidence room. They didn't check on him to mske sure he was eating. or sleeping, or even _alive_. They simply saw an exhausted Robin stop by the kitchen for coffee and kick butt in training, and figured he had everything under control. But Starfire knew better. He was only hanging on because Starfire had forced her way in, staying to watch as he ate a sandwich she had painstakingly prepared, to make sure he finished it. She was the one who turned the circuit breaker to the evidence room and his bedroom off, so he would have no choice but to take a nap. She had been so glad when Slade seemingly vanished. She hated seeing Robin spiral. She loved him - and it broke her heart every single time, knowing how little he loved himself. How little he cared for his own wellbeing. How he felt, in the deepest depths of his soul, that his life was better spent dwelling in the darkness than living in the light with her. How could someone so incapable of loving themselves ever truly know what it was to love another person? Starfire knew. But she feared that Robin did not.

Starfire's eyes grew damp, and she turned, so Robin - if he was even paying attention - would not notice.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"I saw that!" Raven snapped, pulling her towel tighter around her.

"Ryan did it!"

"No I didn't!"

"I don't care who did it," Raven rubbed her temples, "just stop touching my things."

"Where is Daddy's stuff?" Marie resumed poking around Raven's bookshelf, " _he_ lets me play with _his_ things."

"I bet he does. But as you can see, none of his things are _here_ ," Raven informed her, "so I need you," a black plane formed between the children and the bookshelf, "to CUT IT OUT."

Ryan treated this as a challenge, and tried to fly over the edge of force field. It immediately extended, whacking him out of the sky.

"Ow..." he started sniffling, "y-you g-gave me a boo-boo!"

"Huh?" Raven translated the childish term in her mind, then rolled her eyes, "come here," she commanded, stepping towards the boy and healing him.

Marie had taken the opportunity to examine some other artifacts in the room.

"MARIE!" Raven lifted her up with her powers and dumped her beside Ryan, "you both NEED TO STOP TOUCHING THINGS."

"Or what?" Marie demanded snarkily.

She had a point. Sending the kids to another dimension would definitely be frowned upon by her fellow titans.

"Uh...tentacle man could be released."

Ryan paled.

Marie, on the other hand, pointer her finger accusingly.

"You said tentacle man wasn't real!"

Raven frowned. Apparently Marie _had_ been listening to her before.

"See?" Marie cried, confidently, "you were lying! You're a LIAR!"

Of course, the little girl was correct. But that didn't mean Raven wasn't angered by the accusation.

"I am NOT!"

"Are too!" The kids chorused.

"AM NOT!" Raven's voice rose higher.

"ARE TOO!" They matched her volume.

"AM NOT!"

Raven was not a child. She knew that name calling was juvenile - she'd mentioned that fact to Beast Boy and Cyborg on numerous occasions. No, Raven was not a child. But she WAS dripping wet in nothing but a towel. She was cold. She was exposed. And she was ANGRY.

"ARE TOO!"

Raven snapped. Her eyes grew red and multiplied, her toothy scowl went sharp, and black tendrils of energy rolled out from off her skin.

"If you keep disobeying me," her demonic form hissed, "that pathetic excuse for a monster will be nothing compared to the wrath _I_ will unleash upon you." Raven's grimace turned up at the edges, nd she let forth an unearthly laugh.

Ryan was shaking uncontrollably, and Marie was stunned into silence. It was unclear as to whether or not she was aware that her mother was capable of such a display, but her expression showed that it had certainly never been used against her.

Seeing that she had their attention, Raven reverted to her human form.

"Now, you are both going to turn around and stay EXACTLY where you are," she informed them icily.

Ryan turned immediately, dragging a shell-shocked Marie with him.

Raven smiled to herself as she grabbed a new uniform and began changing under cover of her towel. Finally, some peace and-

"WAHHHHHHHH!" Ryan burst into tears behind her, his trauma finally expressing itself.

"Ryan, I'll just be a sec-"

"WAHHHHHHHH!" Marie joined in, creating a grating symphony of sobs.

Raven adjusted her sleeve and fastened her cloak. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to turn around. Raven hadn't wanted kids before. She couldn't imagine willingly putting herself in so hopeless and horrible a situation as raising a child, let alone two as challenging as the two behind her. She hadn't seriously considered in before, but now, she was almost certain; whatever had led to the birth of Marie had been a terrible, TERRIBLE mistake. There were numerous circumstances she could think of that might have resulted in the creation of the little girl, many of which were unsettling, and boded poorly for her future relationship with Starfire, let alone her supposed future husband. She shook her head. This was not the time to think about this. Pushing the many troubling possibilities to the back of her mind, she took another breath, then turned around and faced the children.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Huh?"

Cyborg felt heavy. Just raising his arm panel to check his vitals was a strain. He was running low on power, apparently. Only at 6%. No wonder he was feeling rundown. He checked the rest of the metrics displayed by the glowing graphs, but there was no evidence of a short circuit, or any severe trauma. A quick visual scan showed no cracks in his plating or exposed curcuits. Maybe he had just been knocked out? It didn't happen often, but theoretically it _was_ possible, given the right angle, and a clear shot to his head.

"OW!"

Yup. That was definitely what had happened. Cyborg pulled his metal hand away from the sore spot above his neck. At least he didn't have a concussion. His biometrics would have show it if he did. That being said, there was still no explanation for the power leakage. His batteries _did_ tend to wear down over time, though. Maybe he just needed a new one. He could look into it back at the tower if it kept acting up.

Placing a hand on the wall of the alley, he tried to stabilize himself as he stood. Confident that he wouldn't fall back down to the ground, he dialed Robin's communicator.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" The leader's temper was short from the stress of almost losing his friend, "we've been searching everywhere for you! We couldn't get a lock on your signal!"

Cyborg looked around. He didn't often hang out in this part of the city, but the road outside the alley looked vaguely familiar. He pulled up a virtual map on his arm panel.

"I'm in an alley about a mile away," Cyborg informed him, "sending my coordinates now."

"How did you get there?" Robin asked, concern evident in his voice, now that the situation had deescalated.

"I don't know what happened, man. One minute, I was blastin' at Plasmus, and then, nothing. I woke up here two minutes ago."

Robin frowned.

"We're coming to get you," he stated, "just stay where you are."

"Will do. See you soon," Cyborg ended the connection.

Cyborg looked around, scanning his surroundings for something familiar.

Had he bothered to look up, he might have seen the black and silver figures disappearing over the adjacent rooftop.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Excellent," the white-haired woman smiled as she watched her robotic minions escape, undetected, on the monitor in front of her.

But it was another video feed that held her interest. One from a camera that had been far more challenging to place than the many others she had access to.

"Oh, titans," she brushed a lock of hair away from her good eye, icy iris reflecting the jerky footage from another, cybernetic, imitation of the same sensory organ, "I can't wait to see what you're hiding."


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 25

Raven looked up from her book, yet again. Two pairs of eyes immediately glanced downwards. Raven sighed. She had been successful in keeping them quiet, at least. Aside from the whispering. She shot an inquisitive glance at the two coconspirators. They turned away. Raven had half expected them to be too terrified of her to want her even remotely near them. In this, she had been half correct. One of the two was terrified of her. The other one was just mad. She supposed that came from Marie's ability to adopt a similar, almost as lethal form as Raven. Both, however, had an internal conflict raging within them, which Raven, as an empath, was acutely aware of. The problem was this: both had every desire to be as far from the source of their displeasure as possible...but that source was also the only semi-adult in the tower. Their primitive, childish nature demanded that they seek comfort from their caregiver, so, though both of them desperately wanted to leave the room, neither of them could bring themselves to do it. She had a feeling that they kept looking at her more out of a need for physical affection than to communicate their fear and anger. Either way, it was extremely distracting. Raven had gotten through barely a chapter in her novel, and at the rate she was going-

"We're baaaaaack!" Beast Boy hollered, throwing the common room doors open.

Raven noted that he was in a much better mood than he was this morning.

"DADDY!" Marie jumped onto a woefully unprepared Beast Boy, who fell onto his back as the backwards force hit him, "oww..."

"Hey Marie," he smiled weakly, "uh, what's up?"

Ryan attacked Starfire in a similar fashion, but she was able to maintain her position aloft as Ryan cried into her shoulder.

"Hush, my bumgorf," she soothed him, "what distresses you?"

"Aunt Raven-"

"Mommy was SO mean-"

"-and then-"

"-she made us-"

"-and we-"

Beast Boy and Starfire struggled to make sense of the flood of words coming out of their children's mouths. One thing was abundantly clear. For once, a titan, and neither child, was to blame. They looked to her for some sort of explanation, or at least some semblance of a defense. Instead, Raven just shrugged.

"What?" She closed her book, getting up and heading towards the kitchen, "it was a rough morning."

Beast Boy and Starfire shared a glance, neither sure of what the correct response was. Luckily, Robin had the decency to interrupt them.

"Ok," he addressed the kids, as he stirred something cooking on the stove, "I think it's time for breakfast."

Ryan's tummy rumbled. He had been too overwhelmed to realize he was hungry, but now that his father had mentioned it...

"Breakfast!" He shouted, leaping off of Starfire and rushing to the kitchen counter.

Marie looked skeptical.

"Is Uncle Robin making breakfast?"

"Uh..." Beast Boy scratched his head.

"Did you even _read_ the schedule Beast Boy?" Robin glared through his mask, "it specifically says that Cyborg and I are responsible for meals."

"Oh..." Beast Boy let this realization set in, "does that mean you're taking requests?!"

Beast Boy all but shoved Marie off of him as he jumped into the seat next to Ryan.

"One order of tofu bacon with a side of scrambled tofu eggs please!" Then, noticing a scowling Marie, added "make that two orders." He smiled back at her, but her expression remained annoyed.

"Not happening, Beast Boy."

The green teen's face fell, "awww! Why not?!"

"One," Robin took out two bowls and two spoons, setting them in front of Ryan and Beast Boy, "I'm not making _anything_ for _you_ ," he put glasses out beside the bowls, "and two," he poured some orage juice in each, "the kids are only eating healthy food. I'm sorry, Beast Boy," he lifted two eggs, sunny-side-up, off of one of the pans and put one on each plate, "but tofu isn't really part of a healthy diet," he finished each dish off with a lump of something brownish-gray from another pot.

"Says who?!" Beast Boy demanded.

"Marie," Robin called over Beast Boy's shoulder, "it's time for breakfast. Come sit next to Ryan," he looked pointedly at the titan in her seat.

"Ugh, FINE," Beast Boy sighed dramatically, muttering under his breath as he gave up the seat to an unenthused Marie.

Ryan, who had struggled to restrain himself until his friend was seated beside him, attacked his meal with the voracity of a Tamaranean warlord. No scrap was unscarfed, no drop was dripped. What smudges of food were left on the plate, which Ryan found himself unable to shovel into his mouth with just his hands, was aggresively licked off by his rough lizardlike tongue. Beast Boy and Raven watched the spectacle with horror. Starfire was unperturbed. Robin smiled politely and said, "nice job."

Ryan beamed.

Marie, however, was still eyeing her food with disgust, poking at the gelatinous egg and pile of mush. She watched as the yolk wobbled.

"This is gross," she put her spoon down and folded her arms, "I'm not eating it."

"Marie," Robin said sternly, "you _have_ to eat something. You need your strength - you have a full day of training ahead!"

It scared Robin how perfectly identical Raven and Marie looked as they rolled their eyes in unison. Well, _his_ eyes, in Marie's case. It was weird seeing them uncovered. They just looked so... _vulnerable_. Just like his mother's, the night she... He shook his head. He had tried so many times to rewrite the memory. Reform it in his mind. But every time he dreamt of his life before the titans, before _Robin,_ he watched his parents fall, again, and again, and again, and those beautiful, lifeless eyes looked back. _His_ eyes. And now Marie's. That was one of the reasons he never took the mask off. No one knew that, of course. His mentor had thought the mask was a good way to protect his identity. However, he never knew that the boy put it back on after each battle, before he went to sleep, so that when he woke up and brushed his teeth in the mirror, he wouldn't have to be reminded of his nightmares.

"Robin?" Starfire tapped him on the shoulder, "is everything the ok?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine."

Robin tore his eyes away. This couldn't keep happening. How was he supposed to lead his team when just looking at Marie paralyzed him? Something needed to be done. Maybe he could get Marie to wear her own mask.

"I don't wanna!"

"But Robin said-"

"I don't CARE what Uncle Robin said!"

"Please, friend Marie - might you do the eating of the breakfast for my sake?"

"NO!" Marie banged her hands on the counter, dangerously close to a meltdown.

Raven tried her best to ignore the situation while preparing her tea.

"Raven!" Beast Boy interrupted, gesturing to Marie, "a little help?"

"It looks you have everything under control."

Beast Boy glared at her.

"Dude! Can't you just-"

"Marie," Robin inserted himself into the argument, "I'm the leader of this team. That means I'm responsible for making sure that everyone is healthy, and prepared for anything. That's why you need to eat what I make for you," Robin pushed the plate towards her, "so you can be a strong member of the team."

"I don't wanna be on your stupid team!" Marie shoved the plate back.

"Too bad," Robin shrugged, "because like it or not, while you live here, you're a titan, and I'm in charge of breakfast."

He slid the plate back.

"You're not the boss of me!" The food grew black. "You're not my Daddy!"

The scene in front of Beast Boy was way too familiar for his liking. Obviously, it wasn't _exactly_ the same - he didn't get to go back in the past and chill with his own teen parents - but he and Mento had way similar arguments. Technically, both Rita and Steve adopted Beast Boy. But, in his opinion, only Rita acted like it. She was his mom - even if he didn't always call her that. It didn't mean he didn't feel it. Steve was...different. If Beast Boy didn't like something, Steve was never like 'do this because I'm your dad!' but was all 'do this because I'm your leader!' Both were true though, so it didn't matter much. That didn't stop Beast Boy from crying 'you're not my dad!' and flying out of the room, waiting for Rita to yell at Steve then come find him. Rita would usually comfort him, and then tell him to do exactly what Steve said because 'he's just looking out for you' and 'loves you but is bad at showing it' and blah blah blah. He'd do it then because they were his parents. His difficulty in thinking of Mento as his leader instead of his emotionally unavailable parent, or at worst just 'Rita's husband' was one of the reasons he left the Doom Patrol. With the titans, he joined knowing and accepting that Robin was in charge. Robin was a super cool celebrity when they started out, and he was just excited to be working with him. Now, it was just how things were. Sometimes someone else got to be in charge, like Cyborg with Titans East, before he came home, and Starfire on Tamaran, and even Beast Boy himself with the Brotherhood of Evil thing. But everyone supported whoever it was. Marie and Ryan were just born into it. How did that even work? Beast Boy scratched his head. Was Robin even in charge of them? Did they let the kids go out and fight with them? He had, when he was little. But not as little as them. And what about with non-fighting things? Like, if Beast Boy wanted to take Marie out for ice cream, did Robin have to say it was ok? If Marie wanted to watch tv - did Robin need to approve it? Beast Boy grimaced. That would be the worst. Then again, when they weren't fighting or training or doing other titan-related things, Robin didn't get to tell them what to do. He couldn't tell Beast Boy not to pull all-nighters playing video games or movie marathoning or whatever else he wanted to do. As long as he did training and stuff he was good. Maybe Marie had a point. Robin was NOT her father. So even if she _was_ on the team, she still wouldn't have to listen to Robin if it wasn't training-related. She had to listen to her parents. Which included yours truly. Beast Boy smiled mischeviously. Oh, the _power_.

" _Ahem_ ," he cleared his throat, "stealing the attention from Marie and Robin's escalating confrontation, "Marie's right, dude. She can eat whatever she wants to."

"Excuse me?" Robin raised an angry brow.

"You heard me," Beast Boy grinned, puffing out his chest as he walked over to Marie and swung an arm around her shoulder, " _I'm_ her dad," he proudly pointed a thumb at himself, "and I say she can have whatever she wants."

" _Beast Boy..._ " Robin seethed, gripping the table to keep from leaping across it and strangling Beast Boy for undermining him. Beat Boy kept smiling, milking every moment of their conversation.

"Hey, if Marie and Ryan are part of the team, that's cool. You're in charge of training and everything - but off the clock? You don't own them!"

Robin shot a quick glare at Ryan, testing the boy's allegiance. Ryan bowed his head in acquiescense. He wouldn't be an issue. Robin looked back at Beast Boy, and a very smug Marie. He weighed his options. If Marie trusted her irritating so-called father to be in charge of her, then that trust should extend to her mother, too. Robin turned his attention to Raven.

Raven sensed someone was staring, and looked up from her book.

"Do you have anything to _say_?" Robin asked pointedly.

Raven took a slow sip of her tea.

"Nope."

"Raven," Robin pleaded, "can you _please_ tell Beast Boy-"

"I'm not telling him anything," Raven put down her mug, "for once in his life, he's right. Beast Boy's within his parental rights to overrule you," then, to Robin's annoyance and Beast Boy's joy, "even during training."

"But," Robin protested, refusing to be beaten, "you're her mother! Tell her she has to do what I say!"

"This is pointless," Raven lifted her mug high enough for the titans in the kitchen to see, "do you see this?" She gestured, "I drink tea for breakfast," she lowered the cup, "Beast Boy has tofu - it's hypocritical to tell her to eat something that Beast Boy and I don't eat."

Robin tried to formulate a good counterargument, but came up empty.

"Fine," he ceded reluctantly, "but I'm not making them for her."

"But you _have_ to," Beast Boy chided, "remember the schedule? You do breakfast. I do...whatever you said I do. So if Marie wants waffles," he pointed, "then YOU need to make them."

Robin's eyes darted between the remaining titans in the room. Raven was already back to her book. Starfire just smiled and said, "friend Beast Boy is correct. It is you that must do the cooking. Or are all of the rules that you have decided upon no longer the official?"

Robin muttered under his breath as he got out the waffle iron. Marie grinned at Beast Boy.

"Thanks Daddy! You're the best!" She threw her little arms around his shoulders.

"What can I say?" Beast Boy shrugged, "I'm awesome."

Ryan eyed the display sadly, envying the embrace so easily given to Marie by her own father. Starfire observed this, and flew over to her bumgorf.

"Are you also in need of the waffles?" She asked, misunderstanding the problem.

"No!" He cried, "Daddy said no."

"Very well then," Starfire smiled, "would you like to do the watching of the tv with me?"

He nodded happily, forgetting his momentary sorrow.

She scooped him up and the two plopped down next to Raven. The empath sighed, slapping her book shut. It seemed that this was not a chapter she was meant to finish.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"All systems charged to 100%" a mechanical voice rang out.

"About time," Cyborg pulled out his charging cables and jumped off his slab.

He checked the clock. He hadn't been out of commission for too long. He considered grabbing some grub before training. He knew Robin had a session scheduled today with the kids. Speaking of which... He poked his head out into the hallway. There were no crashes or screams or visible fires, so the kids were probably ok, and most likely taking up the attention of the other titans. Cyborg stepped fully into the hall, heading for the med bay. It was the perfect time for a little uninterrupted research.

Unbeknownst to Starfire, Cyborg had done a little more digging than just checking the compatibility of Starfire and Robin and Beast Boy's and Raven's DNA, respectively. Yes, it was obvious that Marie was Raven's, and everyone seemed willing to accept that Marie was Robin's biologocal daughter - but Cyborg remained unconvinced. There had to be other people out there with black hair and blue eyes. Robin didn't have a copyright on them. What Robin _did_ have though, was human DNA. Raven, on the other hand? Cyborg had always thought or Raven as a metahuman. Like Beast Boy, for example. He assumed the purple hair was a side effect, or a unique dye job. It wasn't until she finally told them about her demonic parentage that he really though of her as another species. They had all done their research to prepare Raven's safe room. All of them had at least a basic knowledge of the mystical arts Raven was so familiar with. All of them were aware that she came from Azarath, in a different dimension. But again, their knowledge there was also limited to books. Since Raven had not been involved, she provided no insights. Cyborg couldn't even recall if Raven herself had told him where she was from, or if it was repeated to them by Starfire. His bet was on Starfire. So if Raven was from another dimension, with a demon father, and the ability to take her own demonic form - was she even human? Yes, he had access to all of the titans' DNA, but since Raven so easily healed herself after every injury, he rarely had to play doctor. Which meant that her basically empty medical file stayed bare. And believe it or not - Cyborg wasn't in the habit of messing around with his friends' genomes. He had better things to do, like crush Beast Boy in Mega Monkeys. Now? His curiosity had been piqued.

Cyborg sat down at the med bay computer and checked its progress. He had started the program to analyze Raven's DNA the last time he and Starfire were here, so it had had ample time to run. Typing away, he entered the various passwords needed to get through his heavy encryption of the titans' biodata, and pulled up the results.

"Man..." Cyborg ran a hand over his smooth head, staring at the screen.

Raven was 100% human. Which meant that she and Robin could 100% have children the... _natural_...way.

As far as Cyborg was aware, none of the other titans thought it unrealistic that Robin and Raven could procreate. None of them, however, had sat down and discussed _how_ exactly Marie had been conceived.

Starfire seemed to be sure that whatever happened to create Ryan and Marie was completely intentional. Robin had busied himself with the mystery of how the kids got here as opposed to how they were created. Beast Boy and Raven were both still clearly in denial that any of this was possible. Raven probably thought that she would never hurt Starfire, and Starfire doubtlessly felt the same. But none of these facts meant that Raven didn't find Robin attractive. Or vice versa. Raven _did_ seem pretty sure that she never wanted kids. And everyone had to agree that if she married Beast Boy, who was apparently able to impregnate _anyone_ , it would be odd that she had chosen to have their child be biologically Robin's. Precisely because it didn't seem like a 'choice' at all. Cyborg had been on the bandwagon with everyone else, assuming the circumstances had been complicated. For Cyborg, that was because he thought Raven had her own demon DNA. He had been confident that she and Robin couldn't have kids without some scientific intervention. Now...he wasn't sure there was even any thinking involved.

Cyborg shuddered. He had no idea if Raven knew. Was it his responsibility to tell her? Or Robin? Or everyone? He slumped back in the chair. Why couldn't he had just let things be? Plus, if the knowledge wasn't enough, he now had some very involuntary and very unflattering images of Raven and Robin swirling around in his head.

"Ugh," Cyborg rubbed at his human eye, "I gotta find a way to delete those..."

He glanced at the clock in his arm panel. There was still some time before Robin called them for training. He picked up the gross kids' clothes from the day before, crinkling his nose at the smell.

"Might as well get started on that touch DNA."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Oh, Cyborg," the dark-clad woman laughed behind her monitor, white locks falling over her eye patch, "you make this far to easy."

She isolated the image of Cyborg's fingers as he pressed the letters of his password into the keyboard.

"Far, _far_ too easy."


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 26

"Aaaaarghhhh!"

A giant green bear lunged at Ryan, who scampered away as a chipmunk.

PEW PEW PEW

Starbolts pelted the ground, almost singing his fur. He hid in his shell as a turtle to try and protect himself, but another bolt hit him, shooting him across the floor.

"Oww!" He cried, reverting to human form.

The starbolts ceased momentarily.

"Dude," Beast Boy morphed as well, "try something smaller!"

"Ok," he wiped his runny nose and stood back up.

Starfire nodded before powering back up.

BOOM!

She blasted a starbolt right where Ryan had been only a second before, then searched around for the apparently invisible boy.

ROAR!

Bear Beast Boy swatted at the air, where a buzzing green fly was currently buzzing around his face.

Starfire's eyes followed the bug, one glowing hand held high.

Beast Boy noticed too late, and Starfire's bolt, intended for Ryan, made contact with Beast Boy's face, forcing him back into human form.

"Oh!" Starfire covered her mouth, rushing to his side, "are you-"

ROWR!

A lion cub jumped onto Starfire, pinning her to the ground.

GRRRRRRR

It's eyes were squinted in a predatory glare.

"Ry-"

The small feline licked her face, covering her in slobbery kisses.

"R-Ryan!" She laughed, happily cuddling the furry beast, "your performance has been most excellent!"

"Yeah-that was AWESOME!" Beast Boy affirmed, walking over to join them, "high five!"

Ryan happily obliged.

"Ow!" Beast Boy nursed his hand, "uh, good one," he smiled fakely. That Tamaranean strength was painful. Especially in lion form.

"Should we commence with the training of your Tamaranean abilities, friend Ryan?"

The little boy shifted uncomfortably.

"But what about my come bats skills?"

Starfire furrowed her brows, "I am not sure that I understand."

Ryan demonstrated...

"Hiyah!"

...by karate chopping Beast Boy in the knee.

"OW!" He hopped around on his other leg, holding his wounded limb to his chest.

"Oh! We may do the checking with Robin. But please," Starfire's expression looked hopeful, "might we work on the skills of Tamaran first? I believe it is important for you to become familiar with-"

"That's ok," Ryan shook his head, "I know how to use my starbolts," he informed her.

"And what of your flying?" She pressed.

"I don't like flying," his expression soured.

Starfire was confused.

"But surely every child of Tamaran is pleased to experience the pure joy of fligh-"

"No!" Ryan stomped his foot, "no no NO!"

But Starfire was undeterred.

"This makes none of the sense - have I not seen you take flight in the form of a bird?"

"I don't fly as a human," Ryan told her.

"But you are not human, my bumgorf," Starfire laid a hand on his shoulder, "you are Tama-"

"NO!" Ryan screamed again, stomping his feet, "Daddy doesn't fly when _he's_ human so I don't fly when _I'm_ human!"

"Oh...I...I see," Starfire's face fell.

The sentiment was kind, of course. But Starfire couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment towards her boyfriend and apparent future husband. Her starbolts were something that resulted from something unpleasant. Something that altered her forever, so she would never be able to forget what that X'hal-forsaken people had done to her. Against her will. Of course, Starfire was a warrior, and warriors cannot allow such distractions whilst in combat. By nature, she was also optimistic - after all, had she not escaped her captors and found wonderful friends she might never have met had she not been taken captive? Yes, there were many things to be grateful for. And why burden her friends with the knowledge of her past, especially if she herself had moved beyond it? Or at least tucked it neatly away in a compartment in some far corner of her mind? It was a box she rarely opened. But now, seeing Ryan embrace only that which was forced upon her, and not her natural abilities? Rejecting the proud heritage of his Tamaranean ancestors? This saddened her deeply.

"Might we at least do the testing of your strength?" She asked hopefully.

"No," Ryan shook his head, "I want to do that with Daddy."

Starfire forced herself to smile. Even if her bumgorf refused to train with her, at least he had embraced his Tamaranean strength.

Beast Boy saw this exchange and frowned.

"Hey," Beast Boy put a hand on Ryan's shoulder, leaning down to his level, "I think your mom would REALLY like it if you trained with her before Robin. Would that be ok?"

"I SAID NO!" Ryan's eyes grew green, and his starbolts glowed bright.

"Hehe..." Beast Boy stepped back, arms up in defense, "never mind!"

But it was too late.

"I WANT DADDY!" Ryan screeched, blasting starbolts all around him.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Marie was having the opposite problem.

"Marie!" Robin ordered, "stop ignoring me!"

"Tofu dogs-I'm _meditating_. Mommy said it's important."

Robin gritted his teeth at the shut-eyed empath sitting beside her.

"And _I_ said you can do that later! Now," he took her wrist, pulling her up into a standing position, "is the time for _combat training_."

"Let GO!"

Marie tried to shake free of his grasp.

"Not until you start listening to me!" Robin yelled, not noticing his quickly blackening hand, "your powers aren't enough! You need to make sure you're physically stro-AHHHH!"

Robin's hand snapped back at an angle far beyond the normal range of motion one's wrist would have.

"Marie! Stop it!" He grunted, hand still caught in her power.

"LEAVE ME ALONE," she growled, releasing his hand only to fling him across the room with her powers. Other equipment in the room was also turning dark, shaking in anticipation of her next move.

"That's enough," Raven opened one eye, looking sternly at Marie, "let's get back to meditating."

Marie glared at Robin.

"Meditating. Now," Raven repeated.

Marie reluctantly released the many objects in her grasp and sat back down next to Raven.

Robin breathed heavily, holding his mutilated hand to his chest.

"Raven?" He called across the room, "can you-AHH!" he winced, "help me out?"

Raven glared at him, but got up anyway and lifted his hand.

"Ahhh," Robin hissed as she examined it.

"You're lucky I've been working on improving my healing abilities," Raven stated, "or you would have been stuck in a cast like last time."

Robin scowled, "are you going to fix it or not?"

Raven rolled her eyes, applying the blue glow to his wrist.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"I'm the leader of this team, Raven. When it comes to training-"

"She's _four_ , Robin. If there's one thing I know about kids, it's that they don't like listening to directions."

"But she just did exactly what you said!"

"Apparently parents have more pull than babysitters," she shrugged, "but not much," she noted, shooting a quick look at Marie who was clearly trying to listen to their conversation and NOT meditate.

"Raven," he said seriously, "you need to talk to her. She has to work on her combat skills."

"I know this is going to be hard to believe," Raven deadpanned, "but no matter how strong she gets, she's not going to win in a fight against an adult without her powers - which, by the way," she looked pointedly at the hand she was healing, "could seriously hurt someone if she doesn't control them."

She let Robin's hand fall, still sore, but no longer broken, to his side. He rubbed it gingerly, twisting it around to ensure that it still worked.

"So," Raven concluded, "her top priority is meditation, and ONLY, meditation."

She turned to look at Marie again, and the little girl shut her eyes quickly.

"I saw that."

"Pardon me, friends," Starfire stepped awkwardly out from behind the door to their training room, "but Ryan was hoping that Robin might do the combat practice with him?"

"He doesn't _need_ combat training."

"And Marie does?" Raven asked belligerently.

" _Ryan_ has two sets of powers that he needs to control! His time should be spent practicing with you and Beast Boy."

"But Robin-"

"NO," Robin dismissed her, pushing past the girls and towards the door, "training is over."

Starfire and Raven watched as Robin walked out, slamming the doors behind him.

Starfire sighed, holding her arm.

"Why must he be so difficult?" She asked aloud.

Raven shrugged, "that's just who Robin is."

"I am not sure that I agree," Starfire directed her gaze at Marie, lost in meditation. Or at least pretending to be.

"Perhaps it was how he was lifted."

"Well," Raven hypothesized, "if Ryan ends up that way, we'll know why."

"And should Marie be the same, we shall know it was due to the genetics."

Raven joined Starfire in watching Marie.

"Let's just hope we don't have them here long enough to find out."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Aight," Cyborg turned the faucet off, "guess I'm done."

Beast Boy's eyes grew wide.

"Wait! Cy-"

"I'll be in the garage if y'all need me," he turned to go.

"Dude!" Beast Boy ran in front of him, blocking him from the door, "don't leave me with them!"

"Relax - you have Starfire, remember?"

"Starfire?!" Beast Boy pointed at the redhead across the main ops room, "did you _see_ what Ryan did to me at training?!" He pointed at his singed hair, "she didn't even try to stop him!"

"I believe it was _you_ that said you could do the watching of him while I went to Robin," she defended herself, flying over to the boys.

"That was before I knew he was going to go all crazy on me!" Beast Boy cried, "as soon as you left he stopped blasting the rest of the room and started attacking me!" The green teen fell to his knees, grabbing at Cyborg's legs as tears streamed down his eyes, "my poor hair will never be the same again!"

"It's called a hair cut, Beast Boy," Raven called from the couch, "get one."

Beast Boy glared in her direction.

"Look," Cyborg picked his friend up off the ground and removed him from his legs, "Rob said I had lunch duty, and I made lunch, so I'm done. The T-car isn't gonna update itself. My baby needs me."

He dropped Beast Boy back onto the floor.

"But what about me?! _I_ need you!"

"Like I said, you gor Star - and Rae!"

"No - just Star. I'm off until bath time. Which might be skipped," she eyed the kids out of the corner of her eye.

"But-"

"No buts, BB," Cyborg smiled, "if you got a problem - go talk to Robin."

"Hmph," Beast Boy crossed his arms, scowling on the floor as Cyborg left, "well, don't expect _me_ to help out when _your_ future kids show up!" He called after him.

"Daddy?" Marie's voice asked from behind him.

"What?" He spat.

"We're _booooored_."

"Bummer," Beast Boy responded unsympathetically.

"Where's all my toys?"

"We left them in the tub," Beast Boy grumbled, "the last time Ryan tried to get me killed."

"Beast Boy!" Starfire gasped.

"Well, you totally would have ki-"

"Those are _your_ toys," Marie interrupted, "I want _my_ toys."

"Well," Beast Boy spun around to face her, frustrated, "you don't HAVE any toys."

"Yes I do!" Marie insisted, "Mommy!" She called over her shoulder, "tell Daddy he's wrong!"

"You're wrong."

"Really, Raven?!" Beast Boy asked, "you weren't even listening!"

"I don't need to be paying attention to know that you're wrong. Statistically, you probably are."

"Why do you always do that?!" Beast Boy huffed, standing up and walking over to the empath, "can't you be on my side for like one time?!"

"Hm..." Raven monotoned, "tempting. But no."

"UGH!" He threw his hands in the air and dropped them, but before they could fall to his sides he felt himself lifted up, and thrown against the kitchen counter.

"DON'T BE MEAN TO MOMMY!" Marie screamed.

"I-Im sorry! I didn't mean-"

"MARIE!" Raven stood up, facing the child, "put him down. NOW."

"But he was yelling at you!"

"That doesn't mean you get to hurt him!" Raven used her powers to create a black bubble around Beast Boy, "let him go!" She ordered.

Marie pouted, but obeyed, and Beast Boy was gently restored to the ground by Raven.

"Uh, thanks," he rubbed his neck, "rough crowd out there."

She glared at him before going back to the couch and grabbing her book.

"I'm going to my room," she announced, then, just in case it wasn't obvious, added "don't bother me."

Beast Boy watched her go, a pit of dread forming in his stomach.

"Daddy?" Marie poked him, past events forgotten, "I'm _bored_."

"Yeah," Ryan nodded from his hiding spot behind Starfire's legs, "where's our toys?"

Beast Boy smacked his hand to his head, "for the last time, we don't ha-"

Starfire slammed her hand over his mouth, and he fought against her vice-like grip, struggling for breath.

"What friend Beast Boy is attempting to say is that the... _toys_ you speak of are...um..." she took a moment to think, tapping her finger to her chin, "they were...the stolen! By the...bad...men!"

Ryan was frightened by the idea that bad people took his things, and grabbed Marie's arm in fear. Marie looked skeptical.

"Why just my toys?" Marie challenged.

Beast Boy finally escaped from Starfire' hold as she pondered her response, gasping for breath.

"They...were...I..." Starfire tried, "do not possess the answer... However," she added, "we do indeed have the games of boredom!"

She flew out of the room, leaving an impatient Marie and curious Ryan behind.

Marie walked over to Beast Boy and nudged his side with her foot.

"Don't DO that!" He swatted her foot away, "guy who almost got suffocated, here! Give me a minute to catch my breath!"

"Ovary actor," she shook her head.

"Huh?" Beast Boy could have made sense of her mistaken word use, but it wasn't worth it. Sucking extra air into his lungs was more important.

"Fear not, my bumgorfs!" Starfire flew back into the room, a number of board games balanced in piles on her hands, "let the time of the games commence!"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

It had become immediately apparent that Marie was a cheater. Ryan, on the other hand, was a stickler for rules. Neither was particularly surprising. Nor were the reactions of their parents. Beast Boy was angry that Marie successfully beat him, and accused her of cheating. Not because he genuinely thought she was, but because this was his usual response when he lost - regardless as to whether or not someone _actually_ cheated. Starfire was genuinely appalled by Marie's behavior, and Ryan, harboring equal disbelief and anger but less self control, started blasting the game board. This pattern held for "Sorry", "Trouble", "Go Fish", "Candyland" - even "Twister". Whatever it was they were engaged in, their cards, or pieces, or limbs would be moved by a casual flick of the Marie's wrist. After the fifth game board was broken, and it looked like an all-out fight was about to commence between her play-mates, Starfire decided it was time to stop.

"Friends!" She flew between the glaring trio, "perhaps we should find another activity with which to entertain ourselves?"

"But she _cheated_ ," Ryan jabbed a finger at Marie, "she should be punished!"

" _He_ just _poked_ me," Marie shoved his finger aside, "you should take him away!"

"She should be locked in her room!"

"He shouldn't get a snack!"

"She should get extra training!"

"He should have to meditate!"

Their poking had escalated into jabs, and was steadily increasing in intensity.

"She should have to be quiet for the rest of the day!"

"He should have to listen to Daddy's jokes!"

"Huh?" Beast Boy looked at Starfire quizically, "what's so bad about listening to my jokes?"

Starfire did not respond. Aside from the obvious lack of discipline Marie got from her future parents, Starfire noticed that the disciplinary actions Ryan listed seemed too severe for so young a bumgorf. Surely future Starfire had not enforced such things. But future Robin... Starfire's eyes narrowed. Future Starfire might stand by while such punishments were given, but _present_ Starfire would do no such thing.

"She should have all of her toys taken away!"

"I don't _have_ any toys! But he shouldn't get any new toys!"

"SILENCE!" Starfire growled.

Ryan looked at the ground guiltily while Marie glared at Starfire in defiance.

"This behavior shall not be tolerated," Starfire stated firmly, "correct, friend Beast Boy?"

"Huh?" Beast Boy looked up at Starfire, eyes glazed over. He was still trying to figure out how any child he raised could find him anything _but_ funny. Even Ryan had laughed at the things he'd said! And Marie had TOTALLY laughed at bath time, and-

"BEAST BOY," Starfire demanded, eyes aglow.

"Uh...yes?" Beast Boy offered, hoping he had answered correctly.

Starfire folded her arms and turned back to the children.

"When I was a bumgorf," Starfire stated, "such disagreements between myself and my sister resulted in forced shlorvax."

"I DON'T WANNA NAP!" Ryan cried.

"What if Ryan stops being mean to me?" Marie tried, "do we have to nap then?"

"I'm not being mean! _You're_ being mean!"

"I am afraid the time for negotiations has passed," she stood firm, ignoring Ryan, "thus, the shlorvax must commence."

"But-"

"What if we, uh..." Beast Boy scratched his head, racking his brain for ways to deescalate, "read a bedtime story first?"

"Yes!" Ryan grinned widely, instantly appeased.

"Which one?" Marie asked, unsure of where she stood on the matter.

"Do you, uh, have a favorite?" He asked.

"The one about the man that's a bat!"

"The one about how black widows attack their friends," Marie eyed Ryan.

"Heh...heh..." Beast Boy gulped. He and Raven had raised a kid with seriously weird story choices. _Way, way,_ dark interests. But that made sense, right? Raven was into all that dark stuff. And spiders _were_ animals, which was his thing... Beast Boy shuddered. The way he and Raven's respective interests had combined and manifested in Marie was seriously twisted.

"What about a fairy tale?"

"Oh!" Starfire clapped her hands, "that would be most marvelous! Perhaps the one with the shoe that has been formed from the glass?" She hovered abive the floor, tapping her chin, "I am quite curious as to how the fairy of X'hal was able to create a shoe both comfortable and durable from this material. Should I have such a shoe, I believe it would slide on the floor, would it not? Or perhaps it might break on the impact? Shoes made of a stronger material would have been a far better choice," she determined, "my own shoes, for instance, are-"

"No," Beast Boy waved his hands to stop her, "not that one!"

"What about-" Ryan started.

"We're doing the one with the mermaid!" Beast Boy shouted out the first thing that came to mind, "it's animal-y and the girl's half fish! Which is like a guy being a bat...except...it's a fish..." he ended lamely.

"No," Ryan corrected, "not a guy that's a bat, the guy who-"

"Nope!" Beast Boy shook his finger, "it's already decided," he turned on his heels, then called behind him, "are you guys coming?"

The kids looked at each other, debating whether or not they should resume their fight. Starfire flew behind them and pushed them towards the door.

"Come children," she smiled, "I am sure we are all very much excited for friend Beast Boy's rendition of the tale of the..." What word had he used? "maid of mares!"

She was not familiar with this particular tale, but she was hopeful that Beast Boy had chosen something appropriate for children. Knowing him, however, she was most uncertain.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 27

"Huh," Beast Boy eyed his new tail, "so...I guess I can do that, now."

"Friend Beast Boy," Starfire poked at his scales, "I was not aware that you were capable of becoming the mythical creatures."

"Ow!" Beast Boy swatted her hand away, "just because I'm half fish doesn't mean I can't feel that!"

"Apologies," Starfire colored, showing her hands behind her back.

"I mean, I was able to turn into that giant-alien-guard-dog-monster-thing when we went to Tamaran, right? And that was myth-y."

"Could it then be said that you might turn into anything? Perhaps, if there were a creature that greatly resembled the umbrella - might you also become the umbrella?" Starfire tapped her chin.

"I don't think so."

"But you recall the time that Mumbo turned you into the lamp-"

"He turned _you_ into a _cat_! I don't see you turning into any other animals," Beast Boy huffed.

"I wanna try!"

The teens' attention was brought back to the children tucked into Starfire's bed.

"I don't think you'll be able to do it either, buddy."

"But you _just_ did!" Ryan pointed at him, "I'm gonna do it too!"

Before either of the titans could protest, Ryan morphed into a tuna, then a salmon, then an eel, and finally into something disturbingly unidentifiable. Well, not unidentifiable. Just nonexistent in nature or mythology. Whereas Beast Boy had managed to end up with a fish tail and a human torso, Ryan ended up with a fish head and a human bottom, which was currently flailing, kicking off the covers and hitting Marie.

"Ryan!" She yelled, pushing him away, "stop kicking me!"

Unfortunately, in his current state, Ryan was unable to regain his balance after Marie's moderate shove, and he toppled onto the floor, incapable of righting himself.

"Ryan! Dude!" Beast Boy tried to rush over, forgetting that he, too, was part fish, and only succeeded in falling into his face before morphing back, "turn back! You can't breathe like that!"

Of course, in what the titans were learning was typical Ryan fashion, he was too panicked to do anything but choke on air.

"Starfire - go put him in the tub!"

Starfire grabbed Ryan and shot out of the room.

Beast Boy sighed. The little guy would be ok once he was able to breathe. Beast Boy turned back to Marie.

"Next time, can you _not_ ask me to turn into anything weird?"

"Um..." Marie took a moment, pretending to consider it, "no."

Beast Boy grumbled. Why did she have to speak so much like Raven? He hadn't put a lot of thought into having a family. He was basically a kid himself - it was _way_ too soon. But the few times that he did? Beast Boy had imagined little mini versions of himself laughing at his jokes and playing all his favorite games and pulling pranks and doing all the stuff Beast Boy loved to do. Because there were basically...him. But smaller. And worse at video games. The whole idea of another person being involved was limited to the stuff Beast Boy didn't want to deal with. Which was...basically everything else. He wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but it probably included making rules and cleaning up or something. But in Marie's case, even though she liked tofu and video games and even pizza - if her mantra was to be believed - Beast Boy was having trouble finding other similarities. She was just so... _Raven_. She _looked_ like Raven. She _talked_ like Raven. Raven would probably say she was immature like Beast Boy - but that wasn't fair because, dude, she was like _four_. And Beast Boy was _so_ mature. Sometimes. But anyway, that didn't count. His kids weren't supposed to be super judgy and sarcastic. Did future Beast Boy even _like_ Marie? Future Beast Boy _did_ marry Raven. So maybe he didn't mind.

"Daddy - do I _have_ to take a nap?" She whined, "Ryan got to get up!"

"Well, _Ryan_ -"

BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEP

"Ugh!" Beast Boy stood up, brushing his now-human legs off, "didn't we _just_ fight someone?"

"Duh," Marie rolled her eyes, "it's your _job_."

Beast Boy glared at her, about to say something he probably wouldn't regret, when Robin ran by, pausing in the doorway.

"Beast Boy! Main ops room!"

"Yeah, yeah," Beast Boy turned to the door, "I'm coming."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Beast Boy flew into the main ops room as a falcon, transforming back in midair and landing gracefully on the floor beside Cyborg.

"Looks like a disturbance by the power plant," Robin noted, pulling up the details on the monitor, "Overload."

"Really?" Cyborg sighed. He had no interest in getting his circuits fried today. He had just started making progress on the T-car - he couldn't be out of commission!

"Cyborg? CYBORG!"

The cybernetic teen was pulled from his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"You've got babysitting duty," Robin informed him.

"What?!" Cyborg cried, "that's not-"

"We're a _team_ , remember?" Robin reiterated their earlier conversation, "and you're the only one who hasn't watched them so far," he turned to the rest of the team, "titans, go!"

"Ryan is recovering in the bathroom," Starfire called before flying after Robin.

"Recovering? From what?!"

"Oh," Beast Boy stopped himself mid-sprint, "Marie's in Star's room. They're supposed to be napping but, you know," he shrugged before bounding away.

"Know what?" Cyborg shouted after him, "what am I supposed to know?!"

"Uncle Cyborg?"

The teen in question heard a small series of taps on his leg, and looked down to see Marie.

"Do I _have_ to take a nap?"

Cyborg regarded the little girl, who was doing her best to hold her eyes wide open so he's see how 'awake' she was. He considered his options. Starting a fight with two kids that were - though he wouldn't be caught saying it out loud - much more powerful than he was, seemed like a bad call. Trying to get them to nap seemed like it would definitely end badly. If he didn't though... Well, he wouldn't have to deal with them later, right? All he had to do was make dinner, which Cyborg knew EVERYONE loved. It wasn't his problem if the other titans had to wrangle the sleep-deprived little monsters.

"Nah," he smiled, "but you _do_ have to tell me what happened with Ryan. Why's he in the bathroom again?"

Marie smiled triumphantly, and tugged on Cyborg's calf to get him to bend down to her level.

"So we were in Aunt Star's room, and then Daddy..."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Oomph!"

CRASH

Beast Boy popped up from a pile of garbage bags, hair standing up with static. He could hear the faint crackling from the electricity still held within the strands.

"Beast Boy!" Robin called, both asking if he was okay and ordering him back into battle with one shout.

"GRRRRRR"

Brown bear, but still green, Beast Boy slashed at the plastic around him, freeing himself from under them and spraying trash over the sidewalk at the same time.

If Robin were still watching, he would _not_ have been happy.

"Azarath metrion zinthos!"

Raven picked up a giant piece of drywall, dislodged from earlier in the fight, and threw it at Overload. He easily dodged it, jumping into the bulb of a nearby streetlamp.

Starfire started blasting at it, until Overload came back out and shot a jolt of electricity at her, knocking her to the ground.

Robin tried his best to hit the electronic creature with his bow-staff, but electricity just wound it way up until it reached him and shocked him.

Beast Boy was about to jump in, when -

DING DING DING

\- a sea of animated chatter caused Beast Boy to turn. A block away, school was just getting out, and a few flustered teachers struggled to divert the stream of students away from the fight. He squinted his eyes, scanning the crowd.

"Ahhhh!"

SMACK

Beast Boy was thrown onto the pavement.

"...ow," Beast Boy groaned, chest smushed against the ground.

He was thankful when the pressure on his back was relieved, and Raven walked into his field of view, holding out her hand.

"Thanks," he mumbled, pulling himself back up.

She barely nodded in response before flying over him to continue the battle.

Beast Boy made to join her, transforming into a leopard and primed to attack, when a voice called him back.

"What did you think about that history test?"

That voice... Beast Boy stopped in his tracks.

"It was ridiculous! He didn't even talk about half the stuff on it!"

"I mean, it _was_ in the textbook."

There it was again. Beast Boy's ears perked up.

"Yeah, but who even reads that? I mean, anyone _else_."

"Hey! He said anything in the reading could have been on it!"

A laugh. _Her_ laugh.

"I guess."

"Anyway, I think it was hard too. You think he'll curve it?"

He couldn't stop himself.

"TERRA!"

Blonde hair swished to the side as she turned. Deep blue eyes locked on green.

"Ew!" Her friend grimaced, "it's that green creep again!"

"Beast Boy?" She frowned.

He searched her face. There was confusion, yes. Concern, even. But no trace of what he wanted to see. _Longing_.

"Terra!" He called again, stepping in her direction, "I-"

BOOM

A bolt of electricity burned a hole in the exact position Beast Boy had occupied. Robin rolled off of him, panting.

"Beast Boy!" He shouted over the sound of Starfire's bolts, "PAY ATTENTION!"

"But-"

Robin dove towards him again, pulling him out of the way as Starfire tumbled to the ground beside them.

"Star!" The boy wonder's priorities shifted as he went to check on his girlfriend.

Beast Boy's gaze turned back to the school. He scanned the crowd, but only managed to catch a glimpse of long blonde hair as it vanished into the crowd.

"Azarath metrion ZINTHOS!"

Raven flung a dumpster at Overload, who arched over it, avoiding the collision.

Beast Boy glanced back once more, then turned his attention back to the battle.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Cyborg had to hand it to himself. So far, he had probably had the most successful babysitting experience of all the titans. Psh. Who said having kids made you a good parent? Cyborg rocked at this.

"Ohh!" Cyborg barely dodged the ball, "nice one, Ry! You almost got me!"

Ryan grinned, distracting Cyborg from his teammate, and the black ball she was currently controlling.

"Better luck next ti-"

SPLOOSH

The ball made contact with Cyborg's open mouth as he spoke, and stunned him into silence. The deformed ball came unstuck from his face and plopped onto the ground with a satisfying squish.

"You goff vah ih my mouf..." Cyborg stated, dumbfounded. Beast Boy, on his prankiest days, would never have pulled that.

"We win!" Marie shouted, floating over to Ryan for a high-five. The two of them started jumping and giggling at their victory, "we win! We win! We win!"

"I cah bewieve oo fif viff!"

"We don't know what you're saying," Marie informed him, "but you STINK."

"Yeah," Ryan added, "you're GROSS."

"Uncle Cy stiiiiiiiinks, Uncle Cy stiiiiiiinks," the two chanted, dancing around him.

"Faf ih," Cyborg got up, heading for the bathroom, "gam ofah, I gowa waff my mouf ow."

The chorus of taunts followed him down the hall.

"Uncle Cy STIIIIIIIIINKS, Uncle Cy STIIIIIIIINKS,"

How was he going to live it down if Beast Boy ever found out about this? Beaten by a pair of four-year-olds. At his own game! Maybe he could get the kids to forget about it by the time-

"DADDY!"

"MOMMY!"

Cyborg spit his mouthwash back into the sink and groaned.

"Hello my little bumgorf!" Starfire held her arms wide so Ryan could jump into them, "did you have the fun with friend Cyborg?"

"Yeah!" Ryan nodded, smiling, then put his arms around her neck and cuddled into her chest, mumbling, "but I missed you."

"Oh, Ryan-" Starfire's eyes widened, and she forced herself not to gag at the smell that greeted her when she moved to kiss his head, "you smell of the excrement of a portkin after unglip."

"We played stankball!" Marie stated, by way of explanation, "and Daddy," she turned to a glum-faced Beast Boy, "we WON!"

He remained emotionless, staring at something on the ground and clearly not as impressed as Marie had expected.

"Daddy," she tried again, "we WON!" She gave him her widest smile, but even that did nothing to catch his attention.

"DADDY," she levitated into his field of vision, "did you hear me? I said we WON!"

"Yeah..." Beast Boy finally responded, still not seeing her, "nice."

He gently pushed past her and walked away.

"Daddy?" She tried again, but the only response was the door to the main ops room, shutting behind him.

Starfire flew over to the little girl, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Perhaps friend Beast Boy is in need of rest," she comforted, "however, I am most certain that he will take much pride in hearing of your victory when he recovers!"

Marie looked after the doors sadly.

Starfire landed on the floor, kneeling next to Marie.

"I know that I am most impressed," she opened her other arm, offering it to the girl, "and you are most deserving of the congratulatory hug!"

Marie resisted for a moment. She really wasn't the kind of child that required an inordinate amount of hugs. But her father's rejection hurt, and Ryan looked so happy...

Marie rushed to Starfire and hugged her back.

Starfire smiled, picking up the second of the two children, and floated back up into the air.

"Please, would you and Ryan do the recounting of your victory? I am most eager to hear all of the details."

Ryan started to open his mouth, but Starfire interrupted before he could begin.

"Perhaps this would be a conversation more suited to the time of bath?" She caught Raven's eye, "it seems that Beast Boy is not able to assist you," she addressed her, "but perhaps I might help?"

Raven nodded, and followed the trio as they exited.

"Man," Cyborg passed the girls, travelling in the opposite direction, "I didn't think that taste was ever gonna come out..."

Robin didn't respond.

"What's up?" Cyborg loomed over the leader' shoulder as he typed away at the computer, "how was the mission?"

"He was stronger than he usually is - just like the others. And we found another disk," he gestured to the disk with the 'R' symbol on it, "did you get a chance to run it through the database?"

Cyborg nodded.

"Yeah, I tried," but there wasn't any DNA on it, so I couldn't get a match on anyone that might have been involved. And aside from how similar it looks to Slade's logo, I haven't found anything about the symbol."

"Well," Robin shoved the new disk at him, irritated, "try this one then."

"Ok," he took it from the gloved hand, then changed the subject, "hey - did anything else happen out there? I saw BB looking kinda down in the hall before and you-"

"Beast Boy needs to be more focused. Someone could have gotten hurt. _He_ almost did."

"What had him so distracted?"

Robin looked at Cyborg for the first time since the conversation started.

"He said he saw _her_."

"Again?" Cyborg asked, "did anyone else see her?"

Robin shook his head.

"I don't know if it's just in his head, or if she's really out there," Robin sighed, "but even if she is, she's not on this team. So we can't afford to have anyone stopping in the middle of a fight because of her. Unless she's in danger of getting hurt. Just like any other civilian."

"Well, was she?"

"No," Robin gritted his teeth, "there were a crowd of high schoolers and he thought he saw her in the crowd - they were far enough away that we weren't going to hurt them. Most of them were walking in the opposite direction too."

"Man," Cyborg looked back towards the door, "I didn't know it was that serious."

"He needs to be focused, Cyborg. I don't like to think about what could have happened if the rest of us weren't there."

Cyborg nodded.

"Someone should talk to him."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Ugh," Raven folded her arms, "if this going to happen _every_ night?"

Beast Boy scoffed.

" _You're_ the only reason we're here, remember?"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Maybe if you and Cyborg hadn't wanted to brainwash them into playing video games all the time-"

"Maybe next time you have some stupid idea about parenting, just don't do it."

Raven stared at Beast Boy. He wasn't usually so...mean. Annoying? Yes. Argumentative? Definitely. But _mean_? That wasn't in his nature. Especially if it was intentional. The only other time she'd seen that was when he started transforming into the beast.

"So," she started, changing topics, "where were you today?"

"Duh. I was with you guys like all day," he responded grumpily.

"During bath time, I mean."

"Did Robin tell you to yell at me for not following his crummy schedule?" Beast Boy asked belligerently.

"No. But you just disappeared. I wanted-"

"I just needed some time alone," Beast Boy growled, "is that so hard to believe?! You spend all your time in your creepy room and no one even cares - but I go to Terra's room for like five minutes and all of a sudden everyone needs to know where I am?!"

Raven paused for a moment, listening to the rustling of sheets below them.

"Daddy..." Marie called up to him in the darkness, "don't yell at Mommy...Mommy?" The tired voice became alert, "are you still there? I can't see you!"

"I'm here," Raven uncrossed her legs and scooched closer to the end of the bed, letting her legs dangle off the edge a few feet from Beast Boy's.

"Okay," they heard her snuggle back under the covers, "don't go away."

"Not like we have a choice," Beast Boy muttered under his breath.

Raven waited until the sounds of Marie's fidgeting lessened.

"So that's where you were? In Terra's room?"

"Uh, _yeah_ ," he confirmed, "it's supposed to be _my_ room while we're stuck with the kids."

"But you've barely gone in there since Marie and Ryan have been here."

"I might if we weren't stuck here every night."

"But you're never in your room during the day. Even when this," she gestured in the darkness, "was your room."

"So?"

"So it's not normal for you. The last time you wanted to be alone was..." she paused, giving him the chance to stop her, "...when she left."

"That's not true," he blurted out, then, quietly, "I also went there after that final fight with her...and after I saw her - that first time."

"Oh."

They lapsed into silence, listening to Marie's even breathing.

Raven understood the need to be alone. Beast Boy had said it himself - she spent a lot of time alone in her room. It was her refuge, not only for meditation, but for trying to contain troubling emotions, or overcome her anger at various things people - usually Beast Boy - had done to infuriate her. Why should Beast Boy be denied the same right?

"Can I ask you a question?" Beast Boy broke the silence.

Raven stared at him. So much for needing his space.

"What?"

"You remember that thing you did with Robin?" He asked, "when you did the whole going-into-his-mind thing and saw everything he was seeing and stuff?"

"Yes."

"Could you...uh...if you wanted to, could you..." he looked her in the eye, "could you do that with Terra?"

" _What?_ " Raven's eyes narrowed.

"Could you go into her mind and check if it's really her? And just see if she remembers us? Or me? Or if she-"

" _Beast Boy_ ," Raven seethed, fists clenching, "do you have _any_ idea what it does to me when I do something like that?"

"Um...I-"

"It's a _violation_ , Beast Boy. Of their mind, of their body - I see everything that makes them who they are, every memory, every experience, exactly the way they experienced it, what they feel, what they think - do you have _any_ idea how _wrong_ that is?!"

Beast Boy was silent.

 _"_ Do you even know what it does to _me_?! I see _everything_. I experience _everything_. An entire life, an entire _person's lifetime_ gets linked to mine. And the other person? They get a link to me. They can't read my mind, but they're _connected_. Possibly forever."

Beast Boy looked her in the eye.

"But you did it for Robin."

"Robin was different. If I hadn't...I don't know if he'd still be here."

"No. It's _not_ different. Terra's not here, but she _might_ be if you just went inside her mind and reminded her that-"

"Robin was _killing_ himself! And even then it was a hard decision for me. I waited until we ran out of options before even CONSIDERING it! I wouldn't do it to some random girl no one but you has ever even seen because you think she might be Terra!"

"LIAR!" Beast Boy shouted, fangs bared, "you won't do it because you're scared! You're scared you'll end up linked to her, and you don't want that or to even have Terra back because you HATE her! You've ALWAYS hated her!"

"I do NOT hate her!" Raven defended herself, eyes glowing red in the heat of their argument, "I SHOULD hate her. She betrayed us and tried to kill us -"

"See?! You DO!"

"But she also sacrificed herself for us! She made some bad decisions - but so have the rest of us! I tried to hide Trigon from everyone, Robin was Slade's apprentice AND Red-X - I don't HATE her for that!"

"But you never even LIKED her!" Beast Boy's voice raised higher, aggression mounting in his tone.

"STOP IT!" Marie shrieked, sobbing from below them, "STOP YELLING AT EACH OTHER!"

Beast Boy's wild eyes bored into Raven's, watching as her four red ones morphed back into two of the same shade of violet.

"I didn't. Not when I first met her. She was...you all loved her. Right away. She didn't even have to try - it just happened. She walked in, and everyone fell for it - for her, I mean. Both times. She didn't have to meditate to just spend a few hours with you guys without destroying something, she didn't have to work at talking to you guys like a normal person, she liked all the annoying things the rest of you enjoy - it wasn't _fair_. And the second time? When she came back? Her powers just magically worked! You know how long I've had to practice, how many years of being locked away from other people, just so I could manage not to destroy everything around me? I may seem creepy, or weird, or secretive, or whatever else you like to call me, but I'm always _trying_. You know the reason I was so reserved the first time we all met? It was because I had never even spoken to another person my age before. I'm not from Earth. I didn't grow up here. I grew up in Azarath - and I never felt at home there either. I've _never_ fit in. I've _never_ belonged. And then I found you guys. And it seemed like everything was going to be ok. I thought we were doing well. But then _she_ showed up, and it was just a blatant reminder that I'll never be good enough. You sit here and talk about Terra like she's some priceless treasure - when she got here, I knew that if I disappeared tomorrow, no one would even care. Because you all had Terra, and she was so, _so_ much better."

Raven took a breath, trying to contain herself, as Marie whimpered.

"So no, I'm not going to invade that girl's mind, because even if she _is_ Terra, she's told you multiple times that she isn't, or at least, doesn't want to be. As much as I envied her, Terra did a lot of bad things, Beast Boy. Things she probably doesn't want to remember. From what you told us the last time you saw her, she seemed happy. She only seemed to get upset when you tried to tell her she was a titan," Raven sighed, "if she walked through the door right now, and asked me to help her, because _she_ wanted to remember - I would. Because despite everything else, you all love her, and I wouldn't want to stand in the way of everyone else's happiness just because I know she would replace me. But I _won't_ ," she reiterated, "unless _she_ asks me."

The calmer tone Raven had used as she delivered her speech seemed to pacify Marie, and they heard her breathing grow deeper once again.

Beast Boy stared at Raven in silence, for what seemed like ages.

"What?" She finally asked, attempting to sound annoyed, but ending up sounding more defeated than anything else.

"You're wrong."

"Beast Boy, you can't tell me that my feelings are _wrong_."

"You're wrong," he repeated, "she could never have replaced you."

" _Sure_."

"I mean, she was awesome," he grinned, "but you are too. Just in totally different ways, you know? Like, she found my jokes funny, and loved playing games with me, and - we just really got each other. But that doesn't mean you aren't important. She didn't make fun of me,"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Not _all_ the time. But, like, when you make fun of my jokes? It makes me want to go and find better ones! And when you make fun of the rest of me? You're super funny! Everyone laughs - even me, sometimes."

Raven allowed herself a small smile.

"And yeah, Terra was funny - but not in the same way. And sometimes the things you say are totally true! Like, I don't want to, but maybe I _could_ read a book, or _should_ take a break from the tv and stuff. Terra just accepted us, but you kind of, I don't know, I guess...try to make us better?"

Raven waited for him to continue.

"You always give us a mission, too. Like, how can we make you laugh? Or, how can we get you to open up? Or have more fun? Friends try to help each other. And you're WAY against it, but sometimes, you let us. Terra was easy - she seemed like she was all open and stuff, but she had problems too. But she wouldn't let us even try and help."

"I didn't let you help when Trigon-"

"You _did_ though. You stayed in that room we made you, and anyway - you were only trying to protect us, right? Terra didn't tell us things because she was protecting herself. Not us."

"She still liked you, though," Raven added.

"I know," Beast Boy smiled, "and like I said - she was awesome! And I still totally wish she would come back," his tone was wistful, "but not instead of you. Just _with_ you. We couldn't replace you, Raven."

Raven's cheeks colored, and she was glad for the darkness covering her unhooded face.

"Uh...thanks," she mumbled, uncomfortably.

"No problem," Beast Boy said, the warmth returned to his voice, "and I'm sorry for...I mean, I didn't mean-"

"It's ok," she shrugged, "we've all had rough days before."

"I guess."

The bed creaked as Beast Boy leaned over and peeked at the sleeping Marie.

"Ok," he sat up again, "I think you can go now."

"Me?" Raven asked quizzically, "what about you?"

"Well, this _is_ my room, and Ryan's sleeping with Starfire, so I was just gonna stay here."

Raven took her own look over the side of the bed, then nodded, opening a portal to her bedroom.

"'Night Rae," Beast Boy waved, already in the process of getting under the sheets.

"Good night."

The portal had _almost_ closed when Marie woke back up.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 28

The door to Starfire's room slid open, letting a stream of florescent light illuminate the pink rug.

"Robin?" Starfire squinted her eyes against the harsh light, "perhaps this is not the best of times - Ryan has done the sleeping of over and-"

"It's Raven," the empath stopped her, not wanting to think about what Robin and Starfire did in the mornings when Ryan was _not_ present, "I just came to get Ryan. I'm on wake-up duty."

"Oh, I see," Starfire patted the pile of sheets beside her, "he is somewhere within the fabric of my bed."

Raven levitated over to the bed and leaned over the bundle.

"Get up," she ordered.

She had expected a fight. Marie had almost blown up the bedroom when Raven tried to pry her from her bunk. It was a miracle Beast Boy was able to sleep through it. She scowled at the thought. Beast Boy, who passed back out tucked comfortably into bed after she returned from her room, got a GREAT night's sleep. Raven woke up slouched against the wall at his feet, with a painful crick in her neck. Apparently Marie was extremely attuned to her parents' energies. Anytime Raven tried to escape, Marie called her back. It was impressive, and also really odd, for someone who appeared to be an otherwise deep sleeper.

Ryan was a totally different child. His resemblance to Beast Boy did, of course, make Raven assume that he would be equally as fond of his precious 'beauty sleep'. Likewise, she had assumed Marie would be more like her and Robin - an early riser. Apparently, in this case, nurture had defeated nature.

"I'm up!" Ryan kicked off the covers and lifted his arms, expecting to be picked up.

"Can't you just...walk?"

Ryan lowered his arms, lower lip jutting out sadly.

"Ugh, fine," she lifted the child onto her hip. There was no need to start the day listening to a crying four-year-old.

The scent of eggs and waffles greeted her as she stepped into the kitchen, depositing Ryan on the seat next to Marie. The little boy was wide awake, eagerly sniffing at the air.

"Are we having waffles?!" He grinned, "I love wa-"

"NO," Robin waved a spatula in his direction, "you're getting scrambled eggs."

"Oh," Ryan frowned, then, as excited as before, "can I have eggs with cheese?"

Robin considered it for a moment, then shrugged, "I don't see why not."

"Yay!" Ryan was practically bouncing in his seat.

Marie was basically passed out on the counter.

"Marie," Robin called over his shoulder as he tended to the eggs, "you have to wake up."

"Ffffmis," she mumbled burrowing her head further into her arms.

" _Now_ ," Robin shot her a stern glare.

Marie shot up at his tone, and faked a wide-eyed smile until he turned back around, and let her head drop back onto her arms.

"MARIE!" Robin caught her again.

"Ahh!"

Ryan's place setting exploded, spilling orange juice all over his night shirt.

"I'm sorry Daddy!" Ryan cried, "I-I didn't do it! Marie-"

"I know who did it," Robin shushed him, facing the culprit, "Marie. You can't keep falling asleep at the table. It's morning. It's time to start the day."

"Daddy doesn't wake up in the morning," she yawned.

"And here I was worrying that Beast Boy might become a mature adult," Raven walked over to Marie, "do you want to meditate before or after breakfast?"

"They need a _schedule_ Raven. How can you expect them to respect that if you let them start making their own decisions about when to do things?"

"I _don't_ ," Raven replied, "she needs to meditate. The exact time it happens is irrelevant."

"After," Marie said into the counter, "wanna sleep more."

"Marie-"

"Daddy - do you smell that?" Ryan sniffed the air.

Robin knotted his brow, taking a deep breath through his nose.

"The waffles!" He rushed over to the waffle maker, producing two burnt crisps.

"Not eating that," Marie mumbled, "and not eating eggs."

"But-"

"Do you really want to start a fight this early?" Raven asked, "just make her two more."

"I can help!" Ryan jumped off his stool and rushed around to the other side of the counter. Robin put a hand out to stop him.

"No," he pushed Ryan back, "this," he gestured to the stove, "is _hot_. It's too dangerous for you."

"But my starbolts are hot!" Ryan demonstrated, "I can-"

"I said _no_ ," Robin repeated, "now, go sit back down with Marie," he focused again on the waffle recipe, "see if you can wake her up."

Ryan returned to his seat, rejected. His negative emotions were grating on Raven's nerves. She was supposed to be alone at this hour. Peacefully meditating while no one else was awake to bother her with their feelings.

"So," Raven attempted, "uh, how'd you sleep?"

Ryan stared at her blankly. Was that not a good conversation starter for a four-year-old?

"Good," he said, simply.

Raven tried a different subject.

"You, uh, like cheese in your eggs, huh?"

Ryan nodded.

"Do you...like any other foods?"

"Yeah!" Ryan grinned broadly.

Raven listened with as much interest as she could muster, while Ryan happily chattered away about his favorite dishes - many of which included foreign phrases and terrifying names like 'mustard soup' and 'mint ice cream and pickle pizza'. Somehow, during the course of the one-sided discussion, Ryan had managed to drag her down into the seat next to him, causing Marie to readjust herself onto Raven's lap, using Raven's cape as a blanket.

"Ok," Robin called, fairly cheerfully considering how morose he'd been over the past few days, "food's ready!"

The fresh morning air and a well-cooked breakfast had that kind of an effect on him. He was always at his best early in the day, grateful that he had survived another evening of nightmares, or thankful for a good night's sleep, he woke up happy. The feeling lasted through breakfast, and then his mood would steadily decrease during the day, save for a few moments with Starfire or some video games with the guys. Otherwise, his mind slowly filled with the stresses and fears and complications of life as the leader of the titans. This was one of the reasons he and Starfire had, unbeknownst to the rest of the titans, began spending an hour in the early morning together, just sitting in her room and enjoying each other's company. He knew how much Star craved affection, and openness, and he felt that he was at his most carefree just after waking, so his new routine had been to wake up an hour earlier than usual and go straight to her room. He was, as everyone was aware, a man of order. It wouldn't have occurred to the other titans that he had deviated from his carefully set regimen if he still showed up in the common room at the same time. Of course, as children are apt to do, Ryan and Marie's arrival had interrupted this custom. So today, instead of spending his first, unblemished hour with Starfire, he was, despite his earlier waffle annoyance, fairly happily dishing out eggs and waffles while Raven occupied the kids.

Needless to say, Starfire was not thrilled when she walked in.

Starfire felt honored that Robin had entrusted her with his most precious hour of the day. It was their time together. A time which no one else was allowed to share with him. Even when the other titans rose early, each of them had their own routine, and existed in parallel until they mustered up the strength to start the day properly and enter the common room. Yes, only Starfire was privileged to enjoy Robin at his best. Surely, this was a marker of a strong relationship - the sharing of prized possessions and secrets and times together, that only the two that are romantically involved might experience together. This meant that no one else, no one that was _not_ in the relationship, was supposed to be given access to such things. It was forbidden. A violation of the love shared between two beings - or so Starfire believed. Thus, when she opened the door to the common room, preparing to greet her friends and hug her dear Ryan, her smile faltered.

There was Robin. Robin, currently at his morning best. Something only Starfire was supposed to enjoy. And he was happily eating breakfast...with _Raven_.

Of course, it wasn't _just_ Raven. There _were_ two children with them. But this only made the situation worse. The image before her immediately morphed in Starfire's mind. Robin and Raven were no longer in their uniforms, but traditional Earthen garb - the normal clothes of the people of Earth that Starfire had often witnessed on the streets and the mall of shopping. The industrial metal kitchen became a cozy country affair - like Starfire had seen in the movies of the families. Yes - Robin and Raven, sitting there like two well-suited humans in their civilian clothes, in their perfect kitchen, in their perfect home, with two happy little children chirping away, seemed very much like a normal Earth family. Indeed, had Starfire not been boiling on the inside, she might have admitted that they looked most sweet. But even as the accoutrements faded from her mind, the facts still stood. Raven and Robin were having breakfast, while a little girl that looked very much like - or rather, _was_ their daughter, snuggled up to Raven, and Ryan, very much engaged in their conversation, was sidling up to both of them, eagerly commanding their attention like a proud son. Even now, as titans, sitting in their communal kitchen, Raven and Robin seemed like a family. A family that did _not_ include Starfire.

"AHEM," Starfire coughed loudly, stepping further into the room.

"Hey Star," Robin smiled, pointing to the pan on the stove, "I saved some eggs for you. I think there's some mustard left too."

Raven got up as soon as Starfire approached them, eager to get away from Ryan's rambling. She was getting sick of hearing about things that made her...sick. To Starfire, it looked like the jolt of a guilty woman after she has been caught in the arms of her married lover. Had Starfire been in a better state of mind, she might have noted that she should probably stop watching so many soap operas with Cyborg.

"You can have my seat," Raven stood up, fighting the urge to drop Marie to the ground, "Marie and I need to meditate."

"Do I _have_ to?" Raven set the whining girl on the ground.

"Believe me - I'm as thrilled as you are."

Starfire eyed the two empaths as they walked towards the bay windows.

"Star?" Robin frowned, creasing his brow, "is everything ok?"

"I know not," Starfire folded her arms, "it seems you and Raven were engaged in a most entertaining discussion."

"Not really," he smiled, "Ryan was getting carried away talking about all the...uh... _amazing_ things you feed him."

"Hmph," Starfire remained unconvinced of his innocence.

"Can I go meditate too?" Ryan tugged on Starfire's glove.

"Do you...usually meditate?" Robin raised a brow.

"Sometimes!" He grinned, "I got my own mana too!"

"What's that?" Robin asked, intrigued.

"Bostaff, bird-a-rang, kung-fu," he recited proudly.

"Nice," Robin smiled.

Ryan beamed. His father was always nicest in the morning. He tried not to think about what he would be like later in the day.

"Ok, you can go," Robin shooed him, and Ryan ran over to Marie, sitting on the floor next to where she was hovering.

"Bostaff, bird-a-rang, kung-fu."

Raven raised an eyelid, observing the newest member of what was fast becoming her meditation 'club'. She sighed, then got back to her own mantra. She'd just have to work on tuning Ryan out as well as Marie.

The way Starfire saw it, Ryan had just abandoned her for the woman he deemed a superior mother. This did not improve her mood.

"Did you enjoy your breakfast, _boyfriend_ Robin?"

"Uh, yeah. Star, is there something wrong?" He asked, confused at her sour demeanor.

"I was of the impression that the morning hours were reserved. Or is everyone now allowed to join you after you wake?"

"What?" Realization of his faux pas dawned upon him, "no! I wasn't-"

"I see," Starfire turned her back to him, "then it is only friend Raven that is allowed."

"Star-"

"Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps you have lacked the honesty," she looked at him over her shoulder, eyes narrowed, "perhaps you have already done the enjoying of Raven's grebnacks!"

"Raven's what?" Beast Boy stepped into the kitchen, "oo! Are these soy waffles?!"

He sniffed Marie's half-eaten breakfast and wrinkled his nose. They were not.

"STAR! I WOULDN'T-" then, more quietly, unsure of how long Beast Boy would be distracted by his grumbling tummy, "Starfire - look, I'm sorry I didn't come to your room, ok? I had to wake the kids up - it's all in the schedule. So I had to go wake Raven up-"

"You went into her BEDROOM?!" Starfire's fists clenched in starbolts.

"No!" He gestured for her to lower her voice, "she was in Beast Boy's room. Apparently Marie's still scared of the monsters from that video game."

Starfire was not satisfied with this information.

"So you admit it then. You knowingly went to the room of Beast Boy to greet RAVEN before ME?!"

"Star-"

"This is unacceptable, Robin," she stood, slamming her fists down and denting the new counter. Robin winced on the inside. Cyborg was not going to be happy about that.

"But I-"

"There is nothing you may say that will make this the right," she informed him.

"I won't do it again - I promise!" Robin held his hands up in surrender, "I-I didn't know you felt so strongly about it. I'm sorry." He was saying that a lot these days, it seemed.

Starfire eyed him, contemplating how she should go about resolving the issue to her own liking. She was displeased that he greeted Raven before her, this much was true. She was equally as displeased that he had shared his first hours with her. But what upset her most of all was the idea of Robin having a family without her. Logically, the chances of this happening were minuscule. But she was a woman of Tamaran, a people for whom emotion was the driving factor in their lives. Logic was secondary. She needed to act _now_. But what to do? Starfire thought back to the various media she had consumed with friends Beast Boy and Cyborg. Had she not witnessed such a show wherein the family did the bonding with a picnic? And other outdoor events that were not including of the friends? Yes. That seemed most appropriate.

"Robin," she announced, looking him in the eyes, "we are in need of the family outing."

"The...what?"

"The outing of the family. We shall prepare the picnic or enjoy to the park of amusement or go to the mall of shopping or..."

Robin zoned out as Starfire listed the infinite possibilities for their day of familial fun. Truth be told, Robin never really had any family outings. His mentor wasn't the type to want to take him anywhere that wasn't being robbed or attacked. His parents...he was sure he had done fun things with them, right? His efforts to repress those aspects of his memory had definitely dimmed his recall ability, but...they lived at a place where other families went for fun, right? Did that count as a family outing for them too?

"Ok," he interrupted, "let's do it."

"Oh..." Starfire was shocked by his quick response, "are you...the sure?"

"Yeah."

"You have none of the desire to do the arguing? And the saying of no? And the storming of off to the room of evidence where you might hide until I have perhaps forgotten that which I have suggested-"

"We can do it, ok?" He insisted, "if it's what you want, I'll give it a try. It might not be so bad."

Starfire's eyes brimmed, and she clasped her hands together, now more excited at the prospect of a family outing than angered by Robin's perceived infidelity.

"Oh, thank you boyfriend Robin!" She pecked his cheek and spun around in the air, "I must do the planning!"

"WAIT!" He stopped her, "we can't go anywhere unless Cyborg makes everyone holorings."

Starfire nodded, "I shall inform him," then shot out of the room.

Robin sighed. He hadn't had much of a choice really. He couldn't have Starfire going around yelling about him cheating on her with Raven. Raven might kill him. And who knew - maybe spending the day with Starfire and Ryan wouldn't be so bad. He glanced at the green boy, whose efforts at meditation had put him to sleep. Robin shook his head. He was just so... _Beast Boy_.

"Hey, Rae!" The green teen plopped down on the couch, then, to the kids, "morning guys!"

"DADDY!" Marie flew over to him and landed in his lap.

"Oomph!" Beast Boy tried to catch his breath from the unexpected impact, "hey."

"Beast Boy," an irate Raven lowered herself to the ground, "you can't keep distracting her. She needs to meditate or-"

"No!" Ryan was blown three feet into the air, then fell back down, fully awake, on his bottom.

"Wahhhhhhh!"

Starfire flew over to tend to her bumgorf, while Raven glared.

"Or _that_ happens."

"But I didn't _mean_ to!" He protested, "I just said 'hi'!"

Raven rubbed her temples in exasperation.

"Ok, new rule. When Marie and I are meditating, you're not allowed in the room."

"But how am I supposed to know if-"

"Because you'll be _sleeping_. Or in training. Why are you even awake? It's not even noon yet."

Beast Boy shrugged, "I dunno."

"So Robin coming in and waking me up and Marie throwing a tantrum had _nothing_ to do with it?"

"Huh?" Beast Boy looked at her blankly, and she put a hand to her forehead.

"Never mind."

"I, uh, think I was cold."

" _What_?"

"I think - when you guys left, it got colder. I'm, uh, not used to temperature changes while I'm sleeping."

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"You nap out here all the time. People are always coming and going - that never stops you."

Beast Boy scratched his neck, cheeks darkening, "you were, uh, in my bed..."

Raven narrowed her eyes, unsure of where he was going.

"so the sheets...and the mattress...they were, uh, warm. And then it was cold...when you left..." he stammered.

"Ok..." Raven lowered her brow, "well, it's been two days. Marie should get over it soon. So hopefully we won't be stuck in there again."

Beast Boy nodded, "yeah, hopefully. My whole body's cramped up from having to stay on one side of the bed," he struggled to crack his back with Marie still sitting on him.

" _Excuse me_?" Raven put her hands on her hips, " _I_ was the one forced to sleep against the wall."

"Yeah. You got to be all stretched out against the wall, and I was being _totally_ gentleman-y by giving you half the bed!"

"Your feet were well over the halfway line."

"Only because I _know_ you have a thing for my feet," he waggled his sneakers at her.

She rolled her eyes, black energy pulling off his shoes and kicking him in the head.

"OW!"

"Hahahaha!" Marie followed suit, taking over the abandoned sneakers and proceeding to keep kicking Beast Boy with them, only slightly less vigorously than her mother had.

"Ow! Ah! Oo!" Beast Boy tried to defend himself, swatting at the shoes, "Raven! Help!"

"I don't think so," she opened the common room door, "next time, don't interrupt my meditation."


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 29

"Nu-uh. Not happening."

"But friend Cyborg, it is most impo-"

"Star, I'm working on somethin'!"

"Then 'something' must do the waiting!" She flew between him and the med bay computer, "please - I fear that Robin will do the changing of the mind. And we are much in need of the bonding!"

"If y'all want to be alone, just go! BB, Rae, and I can watch Ryan! I don't get why you want to bring him with."

"We are in need of the _family_ bonding."

"As far as I'm concerned, we're _all_ family. Which means we do the family bonding thing _every day_ ," he turned back to the computer, "so I'm not droppin' everything just to work on holorings."

Starfire flew in front of him again.

"Star-"

"I know not what it is you are working on - but may I presume it is regarding the disks of 'R'?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, I believe there is little chance that today's work shall yield a different response."

"Well, for your information," Cyborg folded his arms, "today I'm doing a full workup on particulates and composition-"

"Please, friend Cyborg," Starfire placed a hand on his upper arm, "I must confess something."

She lowered herself back onto the ground and took a few steps away, facing the floor.

"Is everything ok?" Cyborg stood, walking over.

She spun around more quickly than Cuborg expected, throwing him off-balance. He took a few steps back to catch himself, and give him a buffer for what he could tell was going to be an intense emotional outburst.

"Do you believe there is a possibility that perhaps Marie was not the result of complex circumstances beyond the imagination and was instead the result of the affair between Raven and Robin?" She blurted, speaking so fast it took Cyborg's computerized brain a few moments to process it all. Once he did though, his human skin grew pale. Starfire was too wrapped up in her own insecurity to notice.

"The logical portion of my mind is aware that Raven possesses half of the demon genetics, so the likelihood of successful naturally occuring procreation without external intervention is minimal - is it not? I was of the belief that she might face the same inter-species difficulties Robin and I appear to have encountered - but might I be incorrect? Her mother was of Earth - perhaps that changes things?"

Cyborg struggled to pay attention as his circuits grew hot with stress.

"Oh, Cyborg," Starfire grabbed his shoulders, hovering at his level and looking him in the eye, "please - be truthful - do you believe that Marie may in fact have been a result of the infedelity of future husband Robin and Raven?!"

Cyborg gulped. He knew, of course. The tests he's run had been indisputable. But Starfire didn't know that. Did he _have_ to tell her?

Starfire kept staring into his eyes.

"Cyborg?" She questioned, voice wavering.

"I...uh..."

Ethics had always been kind of fuzzy when it came to the titans. Robin's sense of right and wrong was definite. It was black, or it was white - there was no gray. He claimed to uphold the law and follow the rules - but when it came down to it? Robin was the determinant, which was an ethical problem in and of itself. Raven was similar. But her opinions on the subject generally circled around offenses commited specifically against Raven. Beast Boy and Starfire felt it with their hearts. It was natural for them. But for Cyborg? He wasn't a self-righteous man above the law. He didn't have an intrinsic, gutteral reaction. He was just a normal guy. Apart from the cybernetics, of course. But he was once a fully human kid, raised by normal, fully human parents. And what was humanity if not one big gray area? So when it came down to the ethics of it, lying was bad. Therefore, Cyborg should tell her the truth. But was it right to put Starfire through potentially unnecessary emotional turmoil, when the future Ryan and Marie came from might not even exist for her?

"I see," Starfire dropped her hands from his shoulders and floated sadly back down to the ground.

"Wait - what?"

"You have answered," Starfire informed him, "your silence has done the talking."

"But-I didn't-I mean-" Cyborg stammered.

"Your thoughts are clear to me," she turned her face away, "and since you appear to believe it is a possibility, then..." she sighed, hugging her arms around herself, "so too do I."

They stood in silence, Cyborg grateful that he didn't have to decide what to say while at the same time inwardly cursing himself for having so readable a face, and Starfire contemplating what exactly this new revelation meant for her relationship.

"I suppose," Starfire finally spoke, "that the outing of family will do nothing to prevent what is to come."

"Hey, wait a minute," Cyborg waved his hand, as if wiping her grim thoughts away, "weren't you the one that kept sayin' how we can always change the future?"

"Yes," she nodded, "but I fear that the rekhmas has already overtaken the bond Robin and I once shared."

"Once shared?" Cyborg shook his head, wiping away the shocked expression from her words, "so you and Robin _weren't_ the two titans I caught making out in the main ops room last week?"

Last week. Had it really been so short a time since Starfire and Robin had been content together? Blissful in the knowledge that nothing could separate them? They hadn't anticipated knowing about a future possible liason between Robin and Starfire's new arch-nemesis. But could Raven be called that? That morning in the kitchen, Starfire's jealousy had overtaken her - but there was good reason behind it. Perhaps Raven was not attempting to gain the affections of Starfire's boyfriend. However, that didn't mean she wasn't a threat. Everyone was well aware of the bond Raven and Robin shared. She had been in his mind, after all. And Robin had gone into the very depths of the Earth to save her during their battle with Trigon. He could have sent Cyborg or Beast Boy. But instead he insisted that _he_ be the one to rescue her. The world was literally ending before their eyes, yet Robin picked _Raven_ to spend his last moments with - without a guarantee that he would even be able to find her! Yes, Robin had chosen the possibility of spending a few moments with Raven, over fighting alongside Starfire and going down with the one he claimed to love. At the time, Starfire had approved of the decision. _Someone_ had to go - they couldn't just let Raven disappear without at least _trying_ to save her. And why not Robin? He was their leader, and his conscience would weigh heavily if he didn't, and everyone knew he was the worst of them when it came to forgiving himself. It made sense. Unfortunately, to Starfire, it made a very different kind of sense now.

"Look, Star," Cyborg put a hand her shoulder, "why don't you go talk to him about it?"

Starfire looked at him in disbelief.

"I am afraid he is not fond of the talking."

"If he really cares about you - and I _know_ he does - he'll listen. Isn't that what relationships are supposed to be all about? Listening to someone whine at you all night for doing everything wrong?"

Starfire managed a small smile at the remark, and Cyborg grinned back.

"I suppose it could...do no more of the harm," Starfire consented.

"Yeah - worst case scenario you still get married, right? He just cheats on ya with Raven!" Cyborg joked.

The look on Starfire's face told him that it was far, _far_ too soon.

"Just kidding!" He put his hands up in surrender, only mildly confident that Starfire wouldn't react the way Raven would in this situation and do something damaging.

Starfire just glared.

"Hmph," she crossed her arms and walked out of the room.

"Star! I'm sorry!" Cyborg ran to the doorway, calling after her in the hall, "I'll get on thise holorings, ok?"

She nodded, satisfied for the moment.

"And Star?" He added, "you might wanna talk to Raven too."

"I do?" She asked, confused.

"She's your friend, right? You should be able to talk to her if somethin's bothering you."

Starfire nodded. She was pretty sure she knew how the conversation with Robin would go anyway. Lots of denial and telling her she was overreacting and assurances that everything was fine and refusal to believe anything like that would ever happen. At least Raven might do her the courtesy of entertaining the possibility that she might be a homewrecker. Or not, since future Starfire and Robin appeared to be cohabitating and rearing offspring together.

"...hours."

"Sorry?" Starfire looked up at Cyborg, clearly having missed whatever it was he was saying.

"I was sayin'," Cyborg repeated, "I should have the holorings working in a couple hours," he smiled, "so you can have your family fun day thing then, ok?"

"Thank you," she flew up and gave him a metal-crushing hug that he was only barely able to withstand without popping a bolt, "I have much appreciated your counsel!"

"Sure thing," he wheezed as she let him go, and shot down the hall.

Cyborg shut the door and leaned against the wall, catching his breath. He was, once again, SO very happy that his future wife had had the decency _not_ to visit him.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Raven?" Starfire knocked on her friend's door, "it is I, Starfire. Might we-"

"Go away," Raven's voice carried through the closed door.

"Please may I come in?" She hovered closer to the door.

"No. Go AWAY."

"But friend Raven, there is something about which we must do the talking! I have been most dist-"

"STARFIRE," the door slid open to reveal a glaring Raven, speaking through gritted teeth, "I have spent the last TWO nights barely sleeping, am CONSTANTLY being bothered nonstop by two annoying children, and am dealing with some very LOUD emotions from EVERYONE in this tower. And I HAVEN'T MEDITATED," she growled, "but tell me," Raven stepped towards Starfire, eyes glowing red, and Starfire shrank down before her, "what is SO important that you feel the need to INTERRUPT ME?"

"Um..." Starfire squeaked, "I believe it can do the waiting..."

"GOOD," a demonic voice growled before slamming the door shut again.

Starfire could make out the faint sounds of Raven's mantra as she walked down the hall. She would have to wait for a better time to confront her. Perhaps, by the time she and her little family returned from their outing, the empath would be in a better mood...

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Did Raven - ah! - _do_ something - oo! - to you?" Beast Boy asked between dodges, actively trying to aviod the black-cased couch cushions being thrown at him.

"Huh?"

The pillows lowered.

"Your, uh, your _mom_ ," Beast Boy corrected himself, panting, "did she do something to you? To make you hate her, or something?"

Marie frowned, releasing her hold on the projectiles.

"I don't hate Mommy."

"Oh yeah?" Beast Boy challenged, "then why don't you ever go 'play'," he air quoted with intensity, "with her?!"

Marie regarded him as he continued.

"Or," Beast Boy suggested, getting angrier by the second, "did she do something to make you hate ME?!"

He KNEW he shouldn't have said it. He knew he should have made some excuse and shoved the responsibility of babysitting Marie onto Robin or Cy or someone. But he couldn't help himself - he was MAD. Who did Raven even think she WAS?! It was totally unfair of her to just walk out and leave him with a little girl whose idea of 'fun' was attacking him! What was worse, though, was that he didn't even MEAN to interrupt her stupid meditation! All he did was say hi! Why did Marie have to LIKE him so much?! Why couldn't she be like every other kid he'd ever met and be all 'Mommy this' and 'Mommy that' instead of constantly wanting HIM?! Raven _had_ been helping out, obviously. She was just as miserable as he was at being held captive in his bunk bed. And yeah, she took Marie for training with Robin. But none of that was _fun_. It was all neccessity. As soon as someone had to be tortured for Marie's entertainment? It was Beast Boy all the way. Now that he thought about it, Marie favored him in other ways, too. When she woke up from her naps? She called for 'Daddy'. When the titans got home from battle - who did she run to first? Beast Boy. A lightbulb burst above his head. Did that mean...no way... Beast Boy's angry grimace turned into a giant grin. _He_ , Beast Boy, the one everyone joked about and laughed at, the one Raven was always making snide remarks about and insulting the intelligence of, BEAST BOY - was the favorite parent. Armed with this new revelation, he ran towards Marie, arms outstretched, and picked her up off the ground.

"Duuuuude!" He laughed, swinging her around with his eyes closed, "I beat Raven! I'm the best parent! I-" He opened his eyes...to find two bright red ones obscuring his vision. "Uh oh..."

BOOM!

Ryan walked over to investigate as the dust cleared, and Robin ran over from his perch reading the paper at the kitchen counter.

"Beast Boy?" He shielded his face from the clearing smoke, "are you ok?"

"Ro-Robin? Dijousee?"

"What?" Robin pulled Beast Boy up from the new crater in the floor.

"I beat Raven," he grinned at Marie, who, now over her momentary fit of rage and slightly remorseful, was clinging to his leg, "see?"

"...beat her at what?" Robin raised a brow.

"Dude," Beast Boy pointed to Marie, "see that? I'M the favorite parent! NOT Raven!" He pointed a thumb at himself proudly.

"Uh..."

Robin looked at the scene around him. If being assaulted by your child was what counted as being a favorite parent, then he was happy to never have the title. He narrowed his eyes at Marie. Of course, if _he_ had raised her, she wouldn't be doing things like this. Really, with two parents as serious and disciplined and himself and Raven, there was absolutely no reason for Marie to act out in the way that she had been. Even Ryan, with all of Beast Boy's genetic predispositions for causing chaos, had been at least moderately contained by Robin's parenting. Just think of how well-mannered and controlled a child Marie would be if _he_ had been allowed to raise her. He frowned. He wasn't sure what exactly had led to Marie's conception, but whatever the circumstances, he was disappointed in his future self for not fighting harder for a parental role in her life. Marie needed some serious guidance.

"Me too! Me too!"

Robin was jolted back to reality by the sound of Ryan's shouts as he begged to be let in on the game Beast Boy and Marie were playing, which appeared to consist of Beast Boy holding Marie's hands and spinning her around until one of them fell.

OOMPH

The one falling was, unsurprisingly, Beast Boy.

"My turn!" Ryan ran over to the green teen, trying to pull him up.

"NO," Robin stopped him, "Beast Boy needs a break."

This was not a complete lie. Beast Boy _was_ looking a little nauseous. All that being shoved into the floor and spinning was doing a number on him.

Marie and Ryan evidently agreed that Beast Biy was past his prime funness, and followed Robin back to the kitchen counter. He picked up his newspaper and read a few lines before feeling the two sets of eyes still on him.

"I'm bored," Marie informed him.

"Me too," Ryan nodded.

"Oh..."

Robin looked at them.

They looked at Robin.

"Uh..."

What did people _do_ with kids? It wasn't time for training yet - and Robin stood by his desire for a strict schedule with them. But as a kid he didn't really do anything _other_ than training. In either of his childhoods. He looked at them again, drawing a blank.

"...lets go find your mothers."


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 30

"BLACK?! Why is it BLACK?!" Beast Boy ran his fingers through his holographically colored hair.

"The point is to make you look different," Raven examined her own black locks in the image reflected back by the glass windows of the main ops room, " the color of your hair is irrelevant."

"Chill out, man," Cyborg called from across the room, where he was tinkering with Ryan's holorings. Apparently there was a short in one of them, causing his skin to appear red rather than green, which was almost equally as problematic.

"Easy for _you_ to say!" Beast Boy cried, "your holoring-body-thing looks awesome! Mine's totally wrong! You-eek!" He shrieked, holding his eyelids open, examining his irises for the first time, "and you left my eyes GREEN!"

"But friend Beast Boy," a very human looking, holoringed Starfire reminded, "your eyes _are_ green."

"No they're not!" He yelled, "they're BLUE! And _this_ ," he grabbed a fistful of hair, "is supposed to be BLONDE!"

"Actually," Raven corrected him, "everything is _supposed_ to be green."

"No," Beast Boy growled, "it's NOT."

"Your skin does not in fact have the pigment that is green in color? And your hair is filled with the dye?" Starfire tapped her chin, "but why then do the creatures you become all appear to be green as well?"

"No - I mean, yeah, I'm green, but I'm not...like, before, I used to...not be..."

Beast Boy rubbed his neck, struggling to express something he hadn't really meant to ever talk about with his friends. Everyone had a past, right? The titans didn't care about that though. They judged each other by who they were NOW. So Raven didn't talk about her demon dad until she had to, and everyone else still hadn't given any real details on their past. Especially Beast Boy. Not including their encounters with the Doom Patrol. But that was AFTER. So it didn't count.

"Before what?" Robin stepped into the room, sunglasses and a baseball cap covering his signature hairdo and mask.

"Nothing," Beast Boy brushed it off, "I've just always seen myself as a blonde, blue-eyed heartthrob. The black and green look isn't my thing."

Raven raised a brow at his quick coverup, but said nothing.

"Got it!" Cyborg brushed his hands off and got up from the floor, "whaddya think, Ry? Like your new look?"

Cyborg held out a reflective metal arm for Ryan to examine his reflection in. He grinned at the boy in front of him.

"My hair looks like Daddy's!"

"Sure does!" Cyborg smiled back.

"Did you just program everyone to look _exactly_ the same?" Beast Boy gestured at the rest of the figured in the room, all of whom sported the same hair and eye colors. Only Raven had somehow managed to escape with her natural violet irises.

"You know you, Rae, Star, and Ry all have abnormal hair, right? No one else is walking outside with that shade of red or green or purple," Cyborg started.

"Yeah, so?" Beast Boy interrupted, "why couldn't you ju-"

"Those colors," Cyborg continued through the green teen's interruption, "are real bright. That's hard to cover up. Now me?" Cyborg gestured to himself, "my skin is darker than my circuits, so covering it all up with a hologram was no big deal. But you guys? Those colors are real bright. I can't just put some blonde holograph in front of you and hope people don't see green underneath it!"

"But-"

"To do that, I'd need to program your holorings so that the light it gives off when you look at it in front of you counteracts the color wavelengths reflected by your hair, and I already spent a ton of time working on that to make sure you got a good skin color going there."

Beast Boy glanced at the peach skin on his hands. He wasn't sure exactly what Cyborg meant with the wavelength thing, but he _had_ done a nice job.

"I got a lotta work to do, BB. Star put in a rush order, and rushing, means everybody gets what's quickest. So I worked on the skin tones, and those white irises for Star and Ry. But black covers other colors the easiest, so y'all got stuck with the same hair and normal eyes."

Beast Boy scowled.

"Hey," Cyborg clapped Beast Boy on an aggressively slouched shoulder, "at least now it looks like you and Marie're related!"

"Yeah. _Awesome_."

"Remind me why we even _need_ these?" Raven took her holorings off, causing the illusion of normalcy to break.

"Starfire suggested that we take the kids out to get some fresh air," Robin answered, stepping next to his girlfriend, "and I thought it would be nice for them to get some of their extra energy out somewhere _away_ from the tower. I'm hoping they'll be better behaved if we let them run around for a while."

"Do we have to?" Raven asked.

"Can't we just get them some toys or something to play with instead?" Beast Boy whined, "I don't even _want_ to go out - do you _know_ how long it's been since I've played a videogame? Or channel surfed?! Can't you just go without me?"

"Boyfriend Robin," Starfire pulled at the sleeve of his civilian jacket, "might we go without friends Beast Boy and Raven? I do not think it necessary that they partake in our day of fa-"

"NO," Robin waved everyone's protests away, "everyone's going - except Cyborg. And that's final."

"Why does Cyborg get to-"

"He has tests he needs to run on those disks we found," Robin stated, "and Star and I can't handle taking Marie and Ryan outside alone."

"But _I_ did it," Beast Boy retorted.

"And how did _that_ end?" Robin asked, pointedly.

Beast Boy grumbled something unflattering under his breath.

"Fine," Raven put her rings back on, restoring the dark hair and pink skin, "let's just get this over with."

The empath lifted her arms, and everyone but Cyborg was enveloped in a black sheet, transporting them onto the mainland. Presumably to somewhere out of public view.

"Finally!" Cyborg smiled to himself, taking the metal disks out of one of his compartments, "now, let's see what your made of."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

The white-haired woman laughed as she watched Cyborg analyze her remote control disks. As if he'd find anything she didn't want him to. She wasn't sloppy. She was using them as a means to an introduction. Naturally, the titans were aware that they enabled her to 'aid' the other villains in their attacks. There was no doubt that she was smarter than they were, and far, _far_ more experienced. Her training had been intense, and her jobs were always expertly executed. Bumbling fools like Cinderblock would never stand a chance against her, and, conversely, with her help, the titans would never have been able to defeat them. But, of course, that wasn't the purpose of her plan. She was just enjoying a little bit of flare as a way of piquing the titans' interest. She loved watching them struggle to come to even the simplest of conclusions.

The touch DNA had been a good attempt. But even if she _had_ been careless enough to actually leave a trace of herself on the disks - they still wouldn't have found anything on her. She was as good as invisible. The disk composition was a far better idea. Cyborg was taking longer than she expected to determine what she had known and hoped he would. But that was fine. She enjoyed watching his attempts. It made her smile to know that such effort was being expended on her behalf. It would take her substantially less to annihilate them all. But where was the fun in that? It would be much more exciting, more thrilling then mindlessly murdering for hire, to have a set of playmates to tantalize. Her intention had been simply to introduce them to the idea of a threat. Expose herself on her time, in her own way. It was going to be absolutely _delicious_. But those children she'd been hearing so much about... The idea fascinated her. Her own talents lay in taking life within the shadows, but how much more fitting would it be to take outward control? She had never thought of herself as someone suited to take on a seat of power, but who knew? Perhaps she would enjoy it.

She was, after all, a Wilson.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Starfire sighed. This was _not_ what she had meant when she asked for a family bonding day. She was also fairly confident that Robin was WELL aware of this fact. Why, oh why did she have the misfortune of loving someone so completely opposed to communicating with her? The fact that he was practically ignoring their son, abandoning him to the monkey bars, and was devoting his time to engaging Marie in a game of catch, was not helping in the least.

Robin was indeed aware of Starfire's desires, which was the exact reason he had forced Beast Boy and Raven to come along. He had figured that at least _one_ of them would be able to distract Starfire. But, of course, Raven was meditating under the shade of a tree a few yards away, and Beast Boy had been roped into a game of keepaway. A game that was NOT meant to include him.

"Gotcha!" Beast Boy swiped the football from Marie.

"NO FAIR!" She cried, circling the ball in black.

"MARIE," Robin hissed, "no powers!"

"You're a meanie," she folded her arms, then, to Beast Boy, "you cheated - give me the ball back!"

"What?!" Beast Boy cried, "I totally didn't! You're the one cheating!"

"NO I'M NOT!" She stomped her feet, "you can't just take the ball!"

"Dude," Beast Boy grinned pompously, "I totally CAN. And DID."

Marie was getting angry. She was four - there was no way that she was going to be able to keep her cover if she had a tantrum.

"Ok," Robin grabbed the ball from Beast Boy, "I think we're done playing."

Marie rolled her eyes.

"Hey," Robin looked at her beneath his sunglasses, "that's rude. You shouldn't roll your eyes at people. It's not polite."

She rolled her eyes again, then glared back defiantly.

Beast Boy snickered.

" _Garfield_ ," Beast Boy winced at the use of his civilian name, "don't YOU want to say something?"

Beast Boy shrugged, "don't ruin the game next time. Then," he winked at Marie, "maybe she won't have to roll her eyes at you."

Marie laughed as Robin growled.

"Marie," he ordered, sharply, "go play with Ryan."

"But I want to stay with Da-"

"NOW," Robin pointed in Ryan's direction.

Marie looked to Beast Boy for confirmation.

Beast Boy shrugged.

"Let's go, then," he grabbed Marie's hand, pulling her towards the swings, "betcha can't push me!"

"Can TOO!" She cried, running alongside him.

"GARFIELD!" Robin yelled after him, "get back here!"

"Sorry dude," Beast Boy grinned over his shoulder, "you don't make the rules out here!"

Robin balled his fists, willing himself not to chase after his younger teammate and show him _exactly_ who was in charge. Perhaps it was for the best though. He really did need to speak with Raven. Without twin terrors interrupting the-

"Boyfriend Ro-I mean, X?" Robin scowled at the name Beast Boy and Starfire had chosen for him on the walk over. Raven had not been particularly helpful, only offering a shrug and a matter-of-fact "you _were_ the one that came up with it in the first place." He was lucky that he had at least been able to convince them to call him X instead of Red.

"What is it?" He barked.

Starfire refused to be deterred by his tone.

"I was wondering if we might do the talking!" She smiled widely, attempting to mask the seriousness of the conversation she had hoped to have.

"Not now," Robin pushed past her, "I have to talk to Rae."

"But..."

Starfire looked on as her beloved Robin walked straight into the arms of another woman. Or, personal space, at least. Judging from the displeased glare she was shooting at their leader, it seemed unlikely that her arms were going to open anytime soon. Still, this was an insult. Especially when the fate of her relationship was precariously balanced on what she viewed as a very, very sharp peak. It was time for Starfire to stand up. She was a woman demanding of respect - a princess of Tamaran, no less! She would _not_ be ignored. Not this time.

"...you go hang out with Sta-whatever her name is?"

"This is important! We have to-"

"Greetings friends," Starfire stepped blatantly between them, "I am afraid I must do the taking of friend Rae from this conversation. We are in need of the 'girl time'."

"Uh, I don't think we need-"

"And YOU," Starfire spoke over Raven's protests, addressing her future husband, "should go and do the quality time of bonding with your SON."

"This isn't the time! I need to have a private conversation with Ra-"

"What you _need_ to partake in is the life of bumgorf Ryan!"

"Keep your voice _down_ ," he chastized her, glancing to his sides to make sure no one heard her Tamaranean slip, "and I have more important things to do right now!"

"Then Ryan is of no importance to you? _I_ am of no importance to you?!"

They couldn't see it, but Raven and Robin were sure her eyes were glowing green under her holograph.

"I didn't say that!"

"On the contrary, your actions do quite the telling."

"Sta-"

"You care nothing for Ryan! And you care not for me!" She raised her voice, "on my planet, a male who abandons their family-"

"Be QUIET," Robin shushed, looking around frantically for passersby.

"-is lower than the blarkworm!"

"I'm not abandoning anyone!" He hissed, "now just isn't a good time!"

"When will this 'good time' arrive?" Starfire questioned, "it seems that you possess all the hours to do the training and the talking and the interest in Marie, but you believe that bumgorf Ryan is unworthy of you!"

"I-"

"ENOUGH," Raven silenced them, drawing their attention to the fact that she was still very much there, "Red," she addressed Robin, who opened his mouth to correct her but then thought better of it, "Starfire's right. You do pay way too much attention to Marie. But please," she deadpanned, "don't let that stop you from trying to control her."

"Control her?!" Robin cried, "it's impossible to even get her to follow simple instructions!"

"Sounds like every other kid I've met."

"This isn't funny, Raven!" He tripped up, "she has _no_ manners, _no_ respect for authority, _no_ self-control - I just don't understand how you and Be-Garfield decided to keep Marie but didn't even care enough to raise her CORRECTLY!"

Raven stepped towards Robin, close enough so that there were only inches between them, her eyes boring into his own.

"Do you see that tree? And the clear sky? And the grass? And those people?" She started, in a low growl, "NONE OF THAT, would still be here if I hadn't 'raised Marie correctly'," her voice intensified, "you want to criticize? Go ahead. But the most important thing a parent of a child like _me_ , or _Marie_ has to do, is make sure they don't destroy everything around them. But I'm sure that if _you_ raised her," she leaned in further, "she'd be polite enough not to roll her eyes after blowing up the city."

Robin stumbled as Raven shoved him away from her, not expecting such a physical show of force.

"What did _you_ want to talk about?" Raven challenged Starfire, "did you have something to say about the way I 'raised' Marie?"

Starfire looked off to the side, uncomfortable with having what seemed like a comparatively petty conversation after so intense a blowout.

"I...um..."

"What?" Raven asked, her anger deflating slightly, "just say it."

"Robin?" Starfire looked over Raven's head, making eye contact with their leader and fully abandoning their code names, "why did you suggest that friends Raven and Beast Boy decided to 'keep' Marie?"

Raven turned around, equally as curious. Her focus was, quite obviously, on the other, more offensive statements he had made. But _was_ an odd choice of words, and the way he said it was almost...accusatory.

They waited for his response.

Robin was a young man well-learned in strategy. As a boy, he'd studied game theory and attack patterns, wars and defensive maneuvers. He could dissect a recording of a fight between the titans and the Hive Five, and tell you the precise moment where the tables had turned in their favor. The second the battle had truly been won. He had gone over his encounters with Slade in his mind a hundred times, assessing all the ways in which he might have succeeded in incapacitating him, if he had just had the chance to do it over again. But none of these things was enough to give Robin a way out.

He could have ignored them, of course. Made up a fake emergency that called them back to the tower. But Starfire would bring it up again. And Raven, her curiosity unsated, would casually mention it again. Possibly in front of the kids, who would then definitely start asking because they loved nothing more than to irritate the relative adults. But that would still result in the answer being forced out of him. It might buy him some time, but in the end, the outcome would be the same. Starfire would leave him. It didn't matter that their future selves somehow found a way past it. They were young, and unmarried, and, aside from the current situation, childless, so there was nothing forcing them to stay together. Nohing except love, and the hope that their relationship would defy all odds and end in happily ever after. How could they continue if they knew that one of them was capable of committing so damaging an act against the other? Whether or not the thing had happened in the past was irrelevant. It was the definite possibility that scared him, because, at his core, the only thing that mattered to Robin - after saving the world and upholding his defenition of the law, of course - was Starfire. And despite her tales of the future Nightwing, he was still not convinced that he could navigate life without her.

"I..." Robin swallowed, and stood up straighter. If he was going to do this, he had to be strong. He wasn't going to spend the last few moments of their relationship snivelling. He started again.

"I've put some serious thought into this," he began, "and I think-"

"You and Robin had the affair and Marie is a child of the love and you and friend Beast Boy decided to do the raising of her instead of removing her," she focused on Robin, "am I to understand that you have come to the same conclusion?"

He nodded, sadly, but said nothing.

"I...thought that might be the case too," Raven admitted, "I haven't been able to come up with another plausible reason for why Marie is...who she is."

The three titans stood awkwardly. None sure of what to say.

"So," Raven finally broke, "what now?"

"Perhaps you and boyf-... _Robin_ , should do the going out instead."

"What?! NO!" Robin's eyes grew wide, and he grabbed Starfire's arms, spinning her towards him, "Starfire," he tried, "I don't like her like that. I..." he braced himself, uncomfortable enough saying such things in private, much less in a public park in front of another friend, "I love _you_. I don't want to _be_ with anyone else. Ever."

"And yet, you will be," Starfire gently pushed his hands off.

"The future can change, remember?"

Starfire sighed. Why did everyone continue to remind her of this fact?

"Just because the future may change, does not mean that who we _are_ changes."

"But Starfire," Raven asked, "why would I _do_ that to you? You're my friend. I wouldn't want to hurt you."

"Yet you have done the damaging of many things you had not the intention of, have you not?" Starfire asked, her tone soft.

Raven was quiet.

"There could still be another explanation," Robin suggested, but his voice was unconvincing.

"Perhaps," Starfire stated, "but the likelihood appears to be slim."

She started to walk away, but Robin called her back.

"Star?" She turned back around, "what did _you_ want to talk about?"

Starfire blinked. Yes, she had planned on covering the topic of adultery with Raven, and with Robin later, but there was another thing that she had hoped to get to the bottom of. One they had touched upon in their conversation, but not to a satisfactory extent.

She shrugged.

"It is of little concern at present," she started walking away, "perhaps, once I have done the gathering of my thoughts, we can discuss it."

Robin and Raven watched her as she headed back to the picnic blanket to pack up. The sky was growing gray, and none of them wanted to test the durability of their holorings in the rain.

"You think she'll be ok?" Robin asked, still watching Starfire.

"I don't know," Raven said honestly, "but I hope so."

"You're a real optimist, you know that?"

"So I've been told," Raven started after Starfire, then stopped, turning back to Robin, "and for the record - no, I wasn't insulted by your repulsion when Starfire asked if you'd like to date me. I'd hate to go out with you either. I'm not into control freaks."

Robin smiled. Maybe there was a faint glimmer of hope for him and Starfire yet.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Ugh," Cyborg sat back in his chair, running a hand over his face, "Robin's not gonna like this..."

On the screen in front of him were the material diagnostics for the disks with the mysterious 'R' symbol. Only, they were not quite the mystery they were before. On the adjacent screen was a perfect material composition match. The image connected to those diagnostics, was also of a disk.

One emblazoned with an 'S'.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 31

"I just don't get it," Beast Boy whined, leaning to the side as he mimicked his on-screen car, "what did I miss?!"

The car slammed into a barrier, making an impressive flip before crashing back onto the digital asphalt.

"Looks like you missed that turn, am I right?" Cyborg held out his metal hand to fist-bump a giggling Ryan. Marie scrambled over Ryan so she could get her own.

"OW!" He cried, "you hurt me!"

"Cry-baby!"

"Meanie!"

"Loser!"

"Hey!" Cyborg pulled them apart, "you don't stop that, you're both gonna lose!"

The children reluctantly separated, Marie giving Ryan one last 'accidental' kick as she climbed back over him to reclaim her seat.

"Ow!"

"Dude," Beast Boy's car was flipped, yet again, by a snickering Marie, "I'm serious!"

"How should I know?" Cyborg retorted, "I wasn't even there!"

"Ughhh," Beast Boy threw his controller down, "this is so unfair! Why doesn't anybody tell me anything?"

"We tell you things all the time! Raven tells you to leave her alone, Robin tells you which attack pattern we're using, I tell you how bad I'm gonna beat you at Galactic Envo-"

"You know what I mean!" Beast Boy scowled, "one minute I'm playing on the monkey bars with Marie, and the next we're leaving and everyone's all grumpy and not talking and NO ONE will tell me WHY!"

"Maybe they didn't tell you because it isn't any of your business," Cyborg suggested unhelpfully.

"Not my business?!" Beast Boy cried, "we got home and they just _left_ me with them!" He motioned to Ryan and Marie, who were still animatedly attempting to hit each other's vehicles, despite Cyborg already having won the game.

"Left _us_ ," Cyborg corrected, "I'm stuck here too!"

"You're just hiding from Robin!"

"I am NOT!" Cyborg defended himself, "I just told him what I found and he went full Slade-mode on me! He doesn't need me gettin' in his way while he goes over the analytics!"

"Not like he had a chance to ask before you volunteered to watch the kids with me!"

"I couldn't leave you alone with them!" Cyborg cried, fake horror spread across his features, "what kind of an uncle would I be if I didn't teach them how to whip your butt in Cart Race?!"

"Can we play again?!" Ryan tugged on Cyborg's arm.

"You up for a rematch?" He asked the changeling.

"You guys play," Beast Boy stood up, "I'm not really in a gaming mood."

"Aw, come on BB," Cyborg tried, "where're you goin'?"

"I don't know," Beast Boy narrowed his eyes, "maybe to find some friends that don't keep secrets from me!"

"Secrets?! Weren't YOU the one who hid a mutant silkworm in the tower for MONTHS?!"

"That was different!"

"Uncle Cyborg," Marie whined, "when are you gonna start the game?"

Cyborg mindlessly hit play, ignoring his own, still car as he turned back to Beast Boy.

"You KNOW something," Beast Boy pointed an accusing finger, "why won't you tell me?"

"I already _told_ you, I do-"

"You DO! I know a guilty look when I see one!"

"I don't look guilty!"

"You DID! As soon as we walked in, you looked at Starfire, and you-"

"Be QUIET!" Marie demanded, "I can't consetate!"

"I KNOW you know something!" Beast Boy whispered, "tell me what is is!"

Cyborg glanced at the kids, both invested in the onscreen action.

"Look man," Cyborg got up, stepping towards Beast Boy, "I don't know what they were talkin' about, ok? But I got a guess."

"And...?" Beast Boy prompted.

Cyborg sighed.

"I ran some tests earlier."

"Uh, _duh_ ," Beast Boy scoffed, "that's exactly why Robin's-"

"On Ryan."

"Huh?"

"He's 100% Tamaranean, BB," Cyborg said, seriously.

"Uh," Beast Boy scratched his head, "what does that mean?"

"It means he ain't human. Not one bit of him."

"So...Starfire had a kid on Tamaran? Did she have another one of those forced marriage things?" Beast Boy suggested.

"No, he-"

"And then she totally escaped back to Earth? And brought Ryan with her?"

"No-"

"And _then_ she married Robin? But how would he have gotten his powers then..." Beast Boy thought aloud, "did he...get sakutia?!"

"Saku-what? NO!" Cyborg yelled, disrupting Beast Boy's rambling, "it means _your_ DNA adapted to _hers_. Took on a Tamaranean form."

"My DNA morphed, like, permanently?" Beast Boy asked, confused.

Cyborg nodded, "that's what it seems like. It adapted to merge with Starfire's foreign DNA. Which means," Cyborg took a deep breath before continuing, "the same thing could have happened with Raven, even if you were concerned about her demon side doing something weird to her DNA."

Beast Boy stared at him blankly.

"Genetically, she's all human," Cyborg informed him, "which is why she and Robin's DNA was able to combine."

"Uh...ok?"

Beast Boy was clearly not understanding the implications of this discovery. Cyborg groaned inwardly.

"Ryan's older than Marie, right?"

"Uh-huh..." Beast Boy nodded.

"So before Marie was... _made_ , everyone knew that your DNA could combine with Starfire, right?"

"I guess?" Beast Boy shrugged.

"And if everyone knew that, then everyone also knew that there was no reason that your DNA couldn't have combined with someone who was genetically human. Even if there were demon DNA side-effects. 'Cause your DNA adapts."

"How..." Beast Boy started, "how..."

Cyborg steeled himself for the emotional outbreak, the possible rage, or sadness or-

"How is any of that important?!" He cried, "how does any of this have anything to do with what they were talking about?! Were they seriously just talking about boring science-y stuff?"

"Hey!" Cyborg defended, "science is NOT boring!"

"SHHHHH!" Marie and Ryan chorused from behind their controllers, distracted enough to not know what they were talking about, but still very capble of identifying disruptive noises.

"All I'm sayin' is that you and Raven could definitely have your own kids!"

"DUDE," Beast Boy pointed aggressively towards Marie, "we DO!"

Cyborg ran a hand down his face. He knew Beast Boy had a brain. He could be a strong, strategic leader when he wanted to be. He was a capable opponent in battle. He had a fount of information about tons of different animals, though technically it was mostly from his personal experience. In short - Beast Boy was a very capable young man. A very capable young man, with absolutely no capacity for putting two and two together. Hand him a picture, he could tell you what was in it, create a ridiculous backstory for the people, or the house, or whatever was depicted. But ask him to interpret the meaning of the piece, or its significance, and he'd give the same confused look he was giving Cyborg now. Needless to say, it was not something that Cyborg particularly appreciated.

"You and Raven could have your own _genetic_ kid," Cyborg clarified, spelling everything out for the changeling, "you know - like a little green kid that looks like Raven?"

"SO?!" Beast Boy growled belligerently, "WHO CARES?!"

"Starfire thinks Robin cheated on her with Raven, ok?!" Cyborg finally confessed, "there's no way you guys needed Robin to help you have a kid!"

"...that's what they were arguing about?" Beast Boy lowered himself back onto the floor, and Cyborg followed suit.

"I mean, I wasn't there, but yeah, I think so," Cyborg affirmed, "you said all three of them were talking, right? My guess is Starfire asked them about it."

"But, I mean, we'd totally know if Robin and Raven were hiding something from us, right?" Beast Boy questioned, staring earnestly into Cyborg's eyes.

"We're all pretty good at keeping things from each other," Cyborg noted.

Beast Boy frowned, casting his eyes downwards as he considered this.

It wouldn't be the the first time a fellow Titan had betrayed them. Robin left them to become Slade's apprentice and created a secret supervillain identity to attack them with. Those X's had taken FOREVER to get out of Beast Boy's hair. Sometimes he still worried that his scalp had permanent red goo stains. Cyborg pretended he had left them to join Brother Blood. Terra... Beast Boy clamped his eyes shut. Terra. At least when the others had 'betrayed' them, it wasn't meant to hurt the titans. It was for the sake of the mission, or the greater good, or whatever. They hadn't tried to kill everyone. They hadn't tried to destroy Beast Boy's hopes and dreams and memories. They hadn't looked him in the eye and told him they didn't want to remember him.

"No," Beast Boy shook his head, raising his eyes to glare defiantly at Cyborg, "you're wrong."

The changeling lifted himself off of the floor and headed for the door.

"BB!" Cyborg started to follow, "where are yo-"

BEEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEEEP!

The alarm responded, dragging Beast Boy back into the main ops room, Robin, Raven, and Starfire on his heels.

"Cyborg - stay with the kids!" Robin ordered, ignoring Cyborg's move to protest, "Titans! GO!"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Friend Beast Boy," Starfire started, "I should like to be alone this evening," she gently pushed the clean-toothed children towards the door, "thus, Ryan shall be sleeping in the bed of bunks. I hope this causes you no inconvenience."

The fight with Mumbo had been fairly standard. Some card tricks, a disappearing act or two - nothing out of the ordinary for a criminal magician. They had defeated him easily. Or, rather, _Raven_ defeated him easily. He had made some jab about their missing team member, and, unwilling to deal with the repercussions of having the public become aware of the current situation at the tower and cause yet more problems for the empath, she promptly froze everything around her in black, including Mumbo, then walked right up to the blue man and ripped his wand away, crushing it beneath her boot. Beast Boy wondered, yet again, why they even had to come along when Raven was able to do away with their rivals so easily. She made the rest of them look like a pack of sidekicks. Not that he was complaining. Less work meant more video games - but right now, he just wasn't in the mood.

"Pleasant shlorvax, little ones," Starfire waved halfheartedly, before walking back to her room.

"Daddy?" Marie tugged on Beast Boy's leg.

"Mm?" He responded distractedly. If Starfire wasn't at least floating, things had to be serious.

"Is Mommy coming?"

"Uh," Beast Boy directed his attention back to Marie, "does she have to?"

"Yeah," Marie nodded vigorously.

"But you have Ryan staying with you tonight," he reasoned, "so you don't need me and Ra-Mommy to stay in here with you, right?"

Marie shook her head.

"Not right."

"Uhhh," Beast Boy scratched his head, "what if you guys go to bed now, and we, uh...come in later?"

He grinned in what was meant to be a convincing manner, but was really just obvious and forced.

Marie squinted her eyes at him, trying to judge his true intentions.

Beast Boy gulped.

"Ok," she finally agreed, "you can come in five minutes."

"Yeah...sure..." Beast Boy headed into the bedroom and pulled the covers over Marie while Ryan got comfy as a puppy in the top bunk, circling himself before curling up into a ball.

"Night guys," he turned off the light and closed the door before leaning his back against the hallway wall and letting himself inch towards the floor.

At the very least, the dour attitude in the tower meant that no one ever brought up bath time, so Beast Boy didn't have sore muscles from bending over the tub. But that didn't mean he wasn't exhausted. His brain was in overdrive, attempting to process problems that it seemed only his human side ever encountered. Beast Boy was often amazed at how little his animal counterparts had to focus on in their lives. Priorities tended to be eat, sleep, and possibly protect, if there was a member of the 'pack' around, depending upon the species, of course. Issues like deception and heartbreak never really entered the picture.

"DADDY!" A little voice called, "it's been five minutes!"

"UGH," Beast Boy groaned, "how do you know it's been five minutes?!"

"I counted to sixty five times!"

Beast Boy knew that his future self was definitely _not_ the one that taught her that.

"Smarty pants..." Beast Boy grumbled, uncomplimentary.

"Can't you just go to sleep?" He whined, opening the door.

"NO!" Marie banged her fists on the mattress, "I NEED YOU AND MOMMY!"

By this point, Ryan had also awoken, rubbing his eyes in human form.

"Mommy?" he looked around, disoriented.

"You're sleeping in here with Marie tonight, remember?" Beast Boy jumped at the chance to change the subject, "you got each other! So you're good!" He smiled cheerfully, turning around to shut the door again, "so if that's everything-"

"DADDY!" Marie growled, eyes glowing red, "GET MOMMY AND COME BACK!"

Beast Boy considered his options. Refuse to give in in to the demands of the four-year-old and suffer bodily harm from her demonic powers, or go and bother Raven, possibly with the same resultant injuries. Neither option was tempting, but at least the person in the latter had been known to show mercy. Occasionally.

"...I'll go get Raven."

As Beast Boy ventured towards the empath's quarters, his mind returned to the troubling claims Cyborg had made. Would Robin tolerate an outburst like that, if _he_ had taken responsibility for Marie? Beast Boy imagined the boy wonder trying to tell the girl to get into bed, and being thrown through the wall instead. He grinned. At least he was doing better than _that_.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Uh, Raven? It's Beast Boy," he stated the obvious, "Marie-"

"Wants us to stay her room again?" The door opened to reveal an expectant, but still irritated empath.

"Yeah," Beast Boy scratched his neck, "we're uh...we're gonna need to stay on the floor this time."

"What?" Raven raised a brow.

"Starfire didn't want Ryan sleeping in her room tonight...so...yeah..."

"Well _I'm_ not sleeping on the floor. Your bunk bed is uncomfortable enough." Raven scowled, pushing past him and into the hallway.

"Mommy!" Marie jumped out of bed to greet the empath, only to be stopped by a wall of black.

"Don't 'Mommy' me," Raven spat, " _why_ do we need to be here?"

"I'm scared!" Marie declared.

"Well, when are you going to NOT be scared? Sometime within the next week?" Raven asked with only a hint of sarcasm.

"I dunno," Marie shrugged.

Raven took a deep breath, trying to stop herself from verbally assaulting the little liar. Unlike the previous few nights, Raven could clearly sense that there was not a drop of fear emanating from the girl, which did nothing to support her claims. Raven opened her mouth to call Marie out on her lies, but promptly shut it again.

Raven's day had been rough. She had possibly lost her friendship with Starfire, the abiity to interact with Robin without garnering suspicion, and, to some degree, a large portion of her pride. Not that Raven had much to begin with. Being stubborn and not easily accepting help might be have been prideful tendencies that she most certainly possessed, but beyond that, as the daughter of a terrible demon with powers that were capable of destroying everything around her, she didn't have much in the way of pride or ego. Not that you could tell, from the way she carried herself. Raven's self-image was like a mirror that had been smashed repeatedly, so that the fragments of the person reflected back were distorted, showing only magnified, imperfect pieces rather then the flawed, but beautiful whole. Raven would never refer to herself as beautiful, of course. Inside or otherwise. But the fact of the matter was that the day's events confirmed for her what had only been an ignorable suspision - that despite her trials and tribulations, her efforts to repent for a cursed existence that she never asked for - Raven was, at her core, a demon. A being capable of cruelty, without regard to consequence or guilt. One who would break the trust and bonds of friendship with the only family she'd ever truly known.

When Raven felt low, she took it out on those around her. On edge due to a lack of meditation time? She'd blow something up - often in Beast Boy's face. Insult to her person? She'd hit back harder with an even more biting comment. Again, also usually instigated by and then targeted towards Beast Boy. So in this particular situation, the normal response would be to say some choice and threatening words to Marie, then storm off and leave Beast Boy to deal with the consequences. But Raven was exhausted, and she didn't need to add 'being a bad parent' to the long list of things chipping away at her self-esteem. So Raven took a deep breath, silently chanted her mantra, and removed Ryan from the top bunk with her powers, depositing him next to Marie.

Ryan looked around him, bewildered at the brash movement of his form, as Raven levitated to the top bunk and took a lotus pose.

"I'm here," she said in monotone, "now GO TO SLEEP."

Marie grinned, pulling the covers up over her shoulders, and grabbing the kitten-form Ryan to cuddle with as she slept.

"Goodnight Mommy! Goodnight Daddy!"

"Meow!" Ryan added, in kind.

Since it seemed like they were indeed spending the night, Beast Boy swung himself up onto the top bunk as a spider monkey, but miscalculated the distance and ended up falling onto Raven's lap, turning back into a human on impact.

"Uh...hi!" He squeaked.

Raven rolled her eyes and pushed him off of her, smacking his head into the bedrail.

"Ow..." He muttered.

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head as he scooched back and turned to lean his back against the wall. The bunk bed was twin-sized, so, though Beast Boy was still toe-to-toe with Raven for the 'shortest team member' award, his feet still managed to extend off of the far end of the bed. He stared at them in boredom, idly wondering when the last time he'd cleaned his shoes was. Did shoes go in the laundry? Or were you just supposed to throw them out and get new ones when they get dirty?

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos. Azarath, metrion..."

Beast Boy listened to the dull drone of Raven's voice, monotonous enough to put him to sleep. Not that it took much. Usually. But his position wasn't comfortable - especially since Raven had taken the side of the bed with his blanket and pillow. He _could_ move them, but that would involve invading her personal space again. Generally not a good idea.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos..."

To be honest, it wasn't just the pillow or the sheets or the position - there was something on Beast Boy's mind.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos..."

As Beast Boy considered how best to approach the conversation he wanted to have, his feet took on a life of their own, involuntarily tapping into each other along with the beat of Raven's mantra.

"A-"

TAP

"-za-"

TAP

"-rath"

TAP

"me-"

TAP

"-tri"

TAP

"-on - will you PLEASE stop making that noise?!"

The empath glared at the guilty Beast Boy.

"Sorry!" He squeaked.

She kept her eyes on him for a few more moments before closing them again and resuming her chant.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos. Azara-""

"Hey, Raven?"

She opened an eye in annoyance.

" _What?_ " She asked through clenched teeth.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"...do you have to?"

Beast Boy ignored her and continued on.

"I know what you guys were talking about today - at the park. When I was playing with the kids."

"That's not a question," she stated, then closed her eyes again, "azarath, metrion-"

"I think Starfire's wrong."

"That's usually _your_ thing," Raven deflected.

"Cyborg said she thinks you and Ro-"

"I don't have time for this," Raven interrupted, "I need to meditate."

Beast Boy scowled.

"But I wanted to-"

"Just drop it."

"Why can't we talk about it?!" Beast Boy shuffled around to face his bedmate, crossing his legs beneath him, to more easily look Raven in the eyes, "I just wanted to ask what YOU thought, ok?" he admitted angrily, leaning towards her as his words became heated, "I mean, Marie's my kid too! Why won't you treat me like it?!"

Beast Boy sat back, pausing as he looked away from Raven and composed himself, before turning back.

"We're supposed to be a teen-parent-team. We're 'Team Logan', remember?" He asked softly, "Can we talk about it? Please?"

He waited for her response with a furrowed brow, mouth set in a serious frown.

"Beast Boy..." Raven started, her tone tired rather than angry, "can we...not do this?"

Beast Boy continued to sit still, uncharacteristically patient. Waiting.

Raven eyed his face with apparent indifference, but the way she lowered herself back onto the matress and let her shoulders fall was evidence of the exhaustion that she felt, and was as much an act of acquiescence as he could hope to get. Beast Boy watched as she closed her eyes and took a breath, savoring the stillness she was about to break.

"She's right," Raven stared at the wall across from the bed, seeing the scene in her mind, "Robin and I are close. And not just because of our bond. We're just...similar."

Beast Boy nodded.

"Obviously he doesn't want kids now, and I'm not sure when he will - there are a lot of unknown variables that could come into play, and I know right now he doesn't think it's a good idea."

"Ever?" Beast Boy asked, breaking Raven's trance.

She shook her head.

"But we already know that Robin and Starfire can't have kids on their own, so if they asked for your help, that means both of them agreed that they wanted one," her gaze drifted back to the wall, "but that doesn't mean Robin was happy they had to ask you."

Beast Boy's eyes narrowed.

"Hey! I did the dude a favor!"

Raven shrugged.

"Robin likes having the upper hand," she glanced at Beast Boy, "in case you haven't noticed, he's kind of a control freak," Raven noted.

Beast Boy folded his arms and grumbled anyway.

"He was probably upset that he couldn't give Starfire what she wanted, and mad that YOU could."

"ME?!" Beast Boy cried, "what's wrong with ME?! Would Cyborg have been better or something?!"

"You rub literally everything in everyone else's faces," Raven deadpanned, "you pushed me out of the way in a fight once and were too busy bragging about it to realize when something else was about to hit you."

"...heh...heh..." Beast Boy laughed awkwardly.

Raven waited until he stopped to continue.

"Robin would _not_ have been coping well with the situation. He probably didn't want to upset Starfire, so he talked to me about it instead."

"So?" Beast Boy scoffed, "just 'cause you guys talked about stuff doesn't mean-"

" _I_ ," Raven scowled, "would probably not have been in a great mood either. I'm an empath."

She said that last sentence as if Beast Boy should have known what it implied, but he stared back blankly. She sighed. It was almost as if they hadn't been living together for years.

"I sense what others _feel_. So if everyone around me has very strong emotions, like Starfire being too happy or Robin being too angry, I can _feel_ that. It..." she thought for a moment about how best to describe it, "it's like a sensory overload. Like there's too much information for my brain to process."

Beast Boy kind of understood what she meant. Kind of like that time he was taking a nap as a bat under the T-car, and Cyborg shined a super-bright light in his face to wake him up. He couldn't see for like ten minutes after.

"And then..."

Beast Boy's attention snapped back at the unexpected silence.

"And then...what?"

Raven stared down at the mattress, deciding whether or not she should tell him.

They hadn't talked about Malchior. Not since he tried to kill them all and she sealed him back into the cursed book he came out of. Next to the whole 'destroying the world' crisis, it was one of the worst days of Raven's life. She had shut herself up in her room afterwards. She told everyone she wanted to be alone, and she usually did. But Beast Boy never listened. She hated it. But not this time. Beast Boy had knocked on her door, and had done something the other titans hadn't managed to before. He _understood_ her. Starfire tried, and Robin and Cyborg thought they did, and for the mostpart they were right. On the surface, Raven was what you would expect - a moody teenager with a dark past that enjoyed her alone time and intellectual stimulation. But beneath that? Only Beast Boy had ever come close. Just that one time. And she had thanked him with a hug that he all but rejected, and then Cyborg had hit him with a stankball, and the broken surface grew back, and neither of them had ever brought it up again. But she had always remembered.

"I...don't want to be alone," Raven stated, and, before Beast Boy could respond, "and I know I'm not. But we're going to get older, Beast Boy. Cyborg said that he thinks he probably has a wife and kids and lives outside the tower in Marie and Ryan's future. Starfire and Robin get married. Even if I _do_ still live in the tower then, all I've ever had...are the titans. But when Starfire and Robin and Cyborg get married, they'll be starting their own families. The titans...we just...won't be important anymore. And I...I'll be alone again."

"Raven..." Beast Boy reached out for her shoulder, but she pushed his hand away.

"So," Raven started up again, banishing the breaking shakiness from her voice, "if Robin was upset and coming to confide in me, and I was feeling overwhelmed and alone...I think it's possible that Robin would feel closer to me, and I might have..." Raven pulled her knees to her chest as she searched for the words, "felt like..."

"Like, maybe if you were with Robin, you wouldn't be alone anymore?"

Beast Boy offered a sad smile, but respected Raven's earlier request for space. She nodded.

"But...you wouldn't have been alone, right?" Beast Boy asked, puzzled as he asked, "wouldn't you have been married to me?"

Raven avoided his eyes as she responded.

"I thought that after everyone found out, you probably felt bad for me."

Beast Boy's mouth hung agape.

"And what?! Married you because I was sorry for you?!"

Raven continued examining her knees.

"So...what?" He demanded, "you thought I'd just be alone too?!"

Beast Boy's glare seared into the side of Raven's head.

"You've said before that girls like 'the ears'," she said, by way of explanation, "but I also know that it's hard getting people to see you as a real person, when you're a titan."

It was said without malicious intent, and worded as kindly as possible, but still Beast Biy heard the words loud and clear; his unnatural appearance made many girls lack interest. The people of Jump City were fairly cool when it came to interacting with the titams. Usually, they were just treated as faces in the crowd, and only saviours while in combat. Girls were happy enough to chat or dance with Beast Boy at raves, but when it came to actually flirting? Most were immediately uninterested. The only girl that hadn't been phased by it all had been...

Raven watched as Beast Boy thought in silence.

"So in your version of the future, you think...what, exactly?" He finally asked.

"I think you saw a friend in need. And knew that I wouldn't be capable of raising a kid on my own. And since you weren't married either, you thought it was an acceptable arrangement."

Beast Boy took a second to decode her words.

"You...think I _settled_ for you?"

Raven was quiet.

"...oh..."

Beast Boy lowered his eyes to his gloved hands, which were, surprisingly, not fidgeting. He flexed the fingers, then lifted his head.

"You know why I wear these, Rae?" He stretched his hands out in front of her.

She looked at the proffered hands, suspicious of the change of subject.

"Traction?" She guessed.

"Nope," he tugged off his left glove and twisted his naked hand for her to see, "it's to cover _this_."

Raven raised a brow.

"You use your gloves to protect your hands? How genius." She regained some of her usual sarcasm.

"No," he pinched the skin on the back of his hand, "to cover _this_."

Raven waited for a further explanation.

"I kinda mentioned it earlier, but I, uh, didn't used to be green," he said.

"So...you _were_ a blonde, blue-eyed heartthrob?"

Beast Boy grinned at the joke.

"Something like that."

"So what happened?" Raven asked.

Beast Boy frowned.

"Is it cool if we...maybe don't talk about that?"

His discomfort was palpable.

Raven pushed her curiosity aside and nodded.

"It wasn't exactly a choice. Not like I really had one..." he trailed off, tears forming at the edges of his eyes, then shook his head and resumed, "anyway, I use the gloves because I...don't want to think about how I'm, you know..." Raven waited for him to say it, "green," he sighed. "With the uniform and the boots and the gloves, as long as I don't look in the mirror - I can't really tell what's underneath. I can pretend I'm...normal."

He put the glove back on, pulling it down to his wrist.

"The mask used to help too, but," he smiled sadly, "someone told me I didn't have a secret identity to protect. Since I can't really hide it if I'm green."

Raven looked away.

"But back with the Doom Patrol, I used to pretend the green parts were just part of the rest of the mask. I guess it wasn't convincing," he grinned at his lame attempt at humor.

"So I think what happened was that Robin was all mad and stuff like you said, 'cause he and Starfire needed me to...you know...but _you_ ," he thrusted a finger towards Raven, "were married to me," he jabbed his chest with his thumb, "and maybe we were like 'Robin and Star are having a kid so we should have one too'!"

Raven let her legs fall back into lotus pose, and folded her arms in discomfort at the thought of her and Beast Boy ever actually _wanting_ to procreate.

"But then I was all like - let's wait and see what happens with Star, and then, a few months in, they did this whole x-ray thing with color-"

"Ultrasounds don't have color," Raven recited from her limited knowledge of Earthen medical technology.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"This is the _future_. Duh."

Raven shook her head.

"Where was I?" Beast Boy tapped his chin, "oh! So they did the whole COLORED xray thing," Raven put a hand to her head in annoyance, "and they totally saw EXACTLY what I was afraid of."

He paused for dramatic effect.

"Which was...?" Raven played along.

"The baby...was...GREEN!" Beast Boy cried, loud enough to wake the kids.

Raven covered his mouth with her powers and listened for the sound of Marie and Ryan's even breathing. Once sure that they were still asleep, Raven released him.

"We already _know_ Ryan is green."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, "but until then, FUTURE us didn't know."

"...fine."

"So then," Beast Boy's voice grew serious, "I probably told you I, uh...didn't want my own kids."

"...what?"

This was not the direction Raven had seen the conversation going.

"It's hard...being green..." Beast Boy shrugged, "I don't know if I'd want to make my kid's life harder."

"But then...why would you help Starfire have Ryan?" Raven was genuinely confused.

"That was like an emergency," he reasoned, "and I didn't know before the ultra-whatever-you-said. But I probably WAS wondering which was why I told you we had to wait and stuff. And then when Ryan WAS green I was all like 'maybe I don't want our kid to be green'. So we just asked Robin to help out!"

"You think that the reason Marie has Robin's DNA is because you decided that you didn't want to have a green baby?" Raven seethed.

"Uh...yeah?" Beast Boy gulped. He hadn't thought it was _that_ bad a guess, but with the way Raven looked now, maybe it-

SLAP!

Raven struck Beast Boy across the face, leaving a dark purple handprint on his cheek.

"OW!" He yelped, holding his face, "why did you DO that?!"

"Marie is part DEMON," Raven growled, "which is MUCH, MUCH worse than just having an abnormal skin color! Are you THAT superficial?! Green skin is NOTHING compared to possessing the power to destroy an entire city with one temper tantrum! How DARE you say that your kids should be spared looking different when you have NO problem with them being demons!"

"Hey!" He held his hands up in defense of any additional attacks, "YOU'RE the one that HAD her - if you actually care like you say you do you totally would have gotten rid of her! Right?!"

He had a point. If Raven REALLY felt like a demon child shouldn't be brought into the world, she DID have a means of dealing with it. Which did support Beast Boy's prediction of their future, where Marie was just as planned and wanted as Ryan. But still...Beast Boy's comments did seem problematic. Raven looked at the boy beside her. He always exuded such confidence and joy...Raven could sense it. She was an empath! Of course she knew what happiness felt like - in others, at least. And Beast Boy was always full of it. Filled to bursting. As if he was trying his best to prove that he was the happiest guy in the entire world with all the joy and light and...oh. _Oh._

Raven closed her eyes and concentrated, working hard to sense the aura of the boy beside her. There was a low level of his usual happy mood, likely dimmed due to the seriousness of the conversation, perhaps a little anger at being slapped, but overall? There was an overwhelming... _nothing_. Just like Robin. Each of the titans had their own degree of emotional walls. But Beast Boy's emotions were usually so LOUD - was he just trying to cover up something behind it? Now that she thought of it, there had been times when Beast Boy had snuck up on her. Not an easy thing to do when you can sense the emotions of those in the general vicinity. She had always been too irritated by his interruptions to think about it. But if, in those instances, he hadn't been trying to deliberately feel anything, he would have been as invisible to her as Robin normally was.

The magnitude of this revelation, and slight disappointment in herself for not seeing it sooner, was something Raven struggled to digest. How could she reconcile the happy-go-lucky, immature, and fun-loving Beast Boy with a doppleganger that shared his body but lived behind emotional walls that she had no way of breaking into? She squinted at Beast Boy, as if trying to dissect him, and he gulped, unsure of what she was doing. Nothing. She sensed nothing. The Beast Boy she knew had a completely different part of himself, tucked neatly away, in a place she couldn't venture to. A part of himself that was unknown, not just to her, but to all of the titans. He was...a stranger. Was that...was that why he...understood...when...

"Uh, Earth to Raven?" Beast Boy waved his hand in front of her face, "anybody home?"

She shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts. She could return to them later.

"I'm sorry," he said, removing his hand, "I didn't mean-"

"It's ok," she stopped him, "I...actually think you might be right."

"Really?" He asked in disbelief.

"Mhm," she nodded, "but it's late," she uncrossed her legs, "we can talk about this tomorrow."

Raven created a portal beside her and reached in, retrieving her own pillow from her bed. She flung Beast Boy's used one at him.

He caught it in midair, and fluffed it before putting it down on his end of the bed. When he looked back at her, Raven was already curled up under her cloak. He may have been an unfolding mystery to Raven, but she wasn't quite as foreign to him. And there was still something bothering Beast Boy.

"Hey, Rae?" He poked her foot.

" _What_?" She growled, pulling her feet towards her.

"Just so you know," he swallowed, unsure of how his words would be taken, but certain that they needed to be said all the same, "I'd never settle for you, Rae. If we got married, it'd be because you were the one."

"I thought Terra was the one," Raven snapped back in reflex, instantly regretting her sleep-deprived words.

Normally, Beast Boy would have winced. But maybe because he was tired, or not interested in fighting, or whatever other hundred reasons there may have been, the jab didn't hurt the way it usually did.

"I guess she wasn't," he shrugged.

And before Raven had the chance to apologize, Beast Boy was drooling into his pillow, already fast asleep.


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 32

Starfire was not surprised when Silkie's hair-munching woke her, instead of a tentative knock on her door. She was not surprised when she found Raven alone in the common room, trying to stop lion-cub Ryan from nibbling on Marie. She was not surprised when Cyborg came in and made breakfast, nor when Beast Boy strolled in at lunch time because training was cancelled. She was not surprised by Raven's sarcastic response, nor Cyborg's suggestion of a video game marathon, nor Ryan's teary hug as he clung to her, crying about the absence of the person she wholly expected she would not see for the next twenty-four, or forty-eight, or however many hours it took before he could identify the newest threat to Jump City. This kind of day was boring in its adherance to the unofficial protocol when Slade-related incidents occurred. The only thing that differed, the only thing that might have made any titan question the sheer monotony of this specific leaderless day, was that, for the first time, Starfire didn't care.

Though they often referred to themselves as 'titans', neglecting to add the preceding adjective, the members of said team were still very much _teens_. This by no means implied that the titans fully conformed to the 'typical teen' stereotype, but that didn't mean that none of them exhibited inherently 'teen' traits. Beast Boy was perhaps the most evident, his immaturity being a constant annoyance to his teammates. Starfire's naivety was another obvious one, though the titans, minus Robin, often wondered if this was due to the language barrier, unfamiliarity with Earth, or was just a way to create more reasons to talk to their 'all-knowing' leader. Cyborg was fairly close to the threshold of adulthood, but still maintained the trace elements of teen stubbornness and a healthy love of pranks. Though it was often misattributed to her powers acting up, or her forcibly repressed emotions, Raven was usually rude and obnoxious in the way she addressed her teammates, surly as any other adolescent in their rebellious phase. Robin often appeared to be under the impression that he was somehow superior to those around him, and showed a stubbornness that tends to fade with the onset of adulthood and the realization that, to succeed in life, especially in relationships, a bit of compromise and understanding are needed.

Alas, the situation the titans had found themselves in with the arrival of Ryan and Marie was unbearably adult in nature. Despite their talk of marriages and adultery and conception - the titans could barely grasp the meanings of the words. How could any of them truly understand what it would be to feel close enough to someone to actually _want_ to show their scars, reveal their fears, create new hopes and dreams that are entirely entwined with another's? To be in so dark a place that one of them felt that the only reprieve was to stray? And conception? The titans thought of it in scientific terms. How were Marie and Ryan _created_? They asked themselves. Whose _genes_ had contributed? No one spoke of the intimate acts that would be required should Marie have been made naturally. Even when suggesting that Robin and Raven had cheated, the focus was entirely on the moral injustice of the thing. The betrayal of Robin choosing another girl over Starfire. None of them considered the difficulties in keeping a marriage afloat when the two participants were of differing cultures and species, not to mention the other myriad of typical marital problems. And why should they have? Except for Cyborg, the titans had all come from unorthodox families. For most of them, their only exposure to friends or love was through the extended titan network, which, again, was full of teens, and was anything but typical. In short, the titans new nothing of how relationships or families were 'supposed' to work, and had not even a modicum of normalcy to compare it to. Yet here they were, struggling to adapt to a situation that 'regular' teens would have pushed off on their parents, or at least gone to some knowledgable adult for help. The titans were not just lacking in a nuclear family. They had no support system.

Thus, it made sense that Robin committed himself to the Slade impersonator, rather than talking to Starfire about things he had no vocabulary to express. It made sense that Cyborg and Beast Boy launched into their new Galactic Envoy game without caring about who was going to watch Ryan and Marie. It made sense that Raven felt that she had fulfilled her familial duties for the day, and retreated to her room without comment. And it made sense that Starfire, left with the children, with no one to go to, save Galfore, who was much too far away to be of any help, lowered herself onto the floor, unable to keep afloat any longer.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Dude?" Beast Boy interrupted their usual banter with his solemn tone.

"Yeah?" Cyborg asked, still focused on his alien octopus his avatar was battling.

"Why do you think Raven and I got married?"

Cyborg's onscreen character exploded beneath the octopus' tentacles. He turned and shook the controller at Beast Boy.

"You did that on purpose!" He cried.

"No! I'm serious!" Beast Boy held up his hands in defense.

Cyborg sighed. He had _really_ wanted to have a nice, lazy afternoon filled with alien destruction, which, he noted, was oddly not being commented upon by Starfire.

"I don't know, BB. Maybe you stopped telling jokes?"

Beast Boy scowled.

"Ha ha."

"Or she got earplugs?"

"Cy!"

"Alright, alright," Cyborg put the controller down and shifted his position on the couch so he was facing his friend, "why do you care all of a sudden?"

Beast Boy shrugged.

"I guess I'm just curious. It just seems so _weird_."

Cyborg nodded.

"So...is that it?" Cyborg asked hopefully, trying one last attempt to get his afternoon back on track.

"Like, she actually lets ME in HER ROOM in the future," he continued, unfazed, "I LIVE in HER ROOM."

"It's CRAZY," Cyborg agreed.

"Do you think she still keeps all her stuff in there? Like in the future?"

"Uh...I guess? I mean, it's still her room, right?"

"But I could get sucked into her mirror thingy! Or one of her books could attack me!" Beast Boy cried, eyes growing wild with terrifying possibilities, "Or SHE could attack me! For breaking a creepy statue or something! Or-"

"Really, man?" Cyborg raised his eyebrow, " _this_ is what you wanna talk about?"

Beast Boy lowered his ears, and his franticness settled into discomfort.

Beast Boy and Starfire were tied for most emotive titan. So too, were they tied for being the most emotionally vulnerable. Both had been known to seek validation, or comfort, or have other emotional needs satisfied by their fellow titans. Starfire would turn to Robin, and Beast Boy would turn to everyone in the room. Of course, most of Beast Boy's validation requests tended to be on the level of "I'm funny, right?" However, once in a while, some deeper insecurity would take root, not so deep as to require its complete and utter repression, but deep enough that a serious conversation was needed to assuage Beast Boy's concerns. Though Cyborg was, without question, Beast Boy's best friend, Cyborg was rarely the one that he had such conversations with. Not that they happened often.

"I just..." he started.

Cyborg waited.

"Do you think I'm...happy? In the future?"

Cyborg blinked.

" _Happy_?! We don't even know if Marie and Ryan's future IS your future! For all we know you run off with another cat and live happily ever after with ten kittens!"

"DUDE!" Beast Boy whined, rejecting the image of himself as a kept house-cat, "not funny!"

"Come on man," Cyborg put a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder, "what's really botherin' you?"

"So, uh, me and Raven have been stuck sleeping with Marie the past couple of nights," he scratched his neck, "and whenever we try to leave, like, when she's sleeping, she wakes up and makes us come back."

"So...you're concerned about Marie having attachment issues?" Cyborg guessed.

"No," Beast Boy frowned, "she also said something about us arguing - like every time we yell at each other, she gets really upset."

"Little kids don't like loud noises," Cyborg reasoned, "you just gotta be quiet."

"I...I think we argue a lot," then, before Cyborg could confirm that yes, Beast Boy and Raven _did_ argue more than any other titans, he added, "in the future. Like, BIG arguments."

"How do you know?" Cyborg asked.

Beast Boy looked out towards the bay, watching the light reflect off of the water. There had been a river, where he lived when he was little. Nearby. It was the last place he was with them. His parents. The real ones. The ones that tucked him into bed with a kiss and told him stories about the animals that lived there. The ones that had his blue eyes and blonde hair. The ones _before_ Rita and Steve. Oh, how THEY fought. About each other, about _him_. They loved him, Beast Boy knew. Or at least, he knew Rita loved him. She claimed Steve did too. But that was beside the point. Their arguments were loud, and doors slammed, and Beast Boy used to cower in the corner as a whimpering puppy. Even without her demonic ways of 'convincing' Raven and Beast Boy to stay by her, and stop yelling, he could tell that her reactions were something more serious. It was easy to recognize the expression he himself had worn, those nights when he wondered if the Doom Patrol was going to break up, or even just Steve and Rita, and if they did, whether or not they would even keep him.

"I just do," Beast Boy shrugged.

"Well..." Cyborg tried to feel his way around the conversation, "do you know what y'all argue about? 'Cause Raven telling you your jokes are bad isn't really that crazy." He added a lame attempt at humor, which Beast Boy graciously ignored.

"I don't know, but I feel like it's something big," Beast Boy let his gaze fall from the glass, and onto the couch cushion beneath him, "I just...I didn't want MY family to be like that."

"Then don't let it be."

"Huh?" Beast Boy's head shot up at the odd comment.

"You heard me!" Cyborg smiled, "go figure out what's up between future BB and Rae, and work it out!"

"But how-"

"Just ask Marie! If she's the one who's heard you fightin', she knows what y'all're fightin' about!"

"I mean...I guess that could work..."

Cyborg clapped Beast Boy on the back.

"But first," Cyborg picked his controller back up, and shoved Beast Boy's into his chest, "we have some aliens to destroy."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"I think your mom is broken," Marie kicked at Starfire's boot, hoping to elicit a response.

Ryan frowned.

"Mommy?" He whispered in her ear, cupping his hand around his mouth, "can you hear me?"

Starfire continued staring blankly at her bedroom wall.

"You're not being loud enough," Marie scolded, clambering onto the edge of the bed next to her aunt.

Taking care to cup BOTH hands around her mouth, she pressed her face against Starfire's ear and screamed "WAKE UP AUNT STARFIRE!"

Starfire's hair blew slightly to the side with the force of the shout, then gently fell back into its original position.

"Maybe she's meditating," Marie suggested.

Ryan nodded, accepting the explanation without question.

Marie jumped down from the bed and crawled back next to Ryan.

"I'm bored," she informed him.

Ryan looked around the room, searching for some form of amusement.

"Oo!" His eyes came to rest on a certain mutant silkworm, "let's play with Silkie!"

"Yeah!" Marie clapped, "wanna play flyworm or house?"

Flyworm was fun when they both took turns throwing Silkie into the air and hitting him with their powers, but when his mommy wasn't there to make Marie play fair, he ended up always having to be the one throwing Silkie.

"Let's play house!"

Marie smiled, approving of the decision, then made for Starfire's closet in search of something pretty to dress baby Silkie in.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"UGH!" Robin banged his fist on the desk, "this doesn't make _sense_!"

He had gone over the chemical composition report, the particulate analysis - even the miniature electronic fragments left behind after the disks were removed from their hosts. He referenced his old maps for Slade's previous hideouts, all of which he confirmed had been either destroyed or abandoned. He reread old case files, searching for some detail he might have missed. He scoured the web for any sightings, any _inkling_ that Slade might have come back for them - for _him_. Even after Slade moved onto other plots, Robin had felt that his dealing with Slade were always... _personal_. When Robin had been forced to apprentice him, Slade had acted almost _fatherly_ towards him. An abusive father, certainly, yet with every kick to the gut or punch to the face, Slade had spoken to him as if he _cared_. Though it had been obvious that the man felt no remorse for his actions, he treated everything as if it were a teachable moment. Scolding Robin like he was a child, unaware of the rules. When Robin came close to besting him in a sparring match, Slade expressed pride, as if he was watching a son come into his own. It was unnerving. But the worst part? Robin... _liked_ it. No, Robin didn't want to hurt anyone - it pained him every time he karate-chopped an innocent guard or troubling bystander - but the way Slade spoke to him...with _approval_...it was something he couldn't remember ever having experienced. Not after his mentor took him in, anyway. How was it that someone who was supposed to be a symbol of good, a righter of wrongs, a man of justice, could make Robin feel so small and inadequate? Every training session ending in "you need to try harder, Robin" or "you're getting sloppy, Robin", had burned its image into his mind, so that, even now, as Robin sparred, or lifted weights, or ran, his mind constantly replayed "you're not fast enough" and "you're not strong enough" and "you're a failure". But with Slade? The training was brutal, and the physical punishments were beyond what Robin's mentor would ever have allowed, but when Robin fought him, and inevitably, embarrassingly lost, Slade would say "you're getting better, Robin". When Robin _almost_ succeeded in escaping? "I'm impressed, Robin." And at some point, something inside Robin broke like a dam, releasing a rush of warmth all over his body, one he had to struggle to reign in, so that Slade would not see the grateful smile trying to force itself onto his face.

Robin _hated_ Slade. For the things he had done. For the people he had hurt. But, most of all, for the way he made Robin wish, in the deepest crevices of his psyche, that he could hear Slade praise him again. For the irrational jealously Robin felt whenever Slade shifted his focus onto a new titan, and away from _him_.

But Slade was _gone_. Robin knew this. The last time he had seen him, he had a skeleton for a face. Even _if_ Raven had resurrected everyone after Trigon's attempt to destroy the world, would that have really brought him back? Beast Boy seemed to think that was what happened to Terra. But Terra had been turned to stone, and Robin was under the impression that Raven had brought back the people that Trigon had killed - also by turning them to stone - which should not have affected the non-stone Slade. Right?

Robin rubbed his temples.

But, for arguments' sake, if Slade _had_ been returned to his normal state, or even if he was still a skeleton, Robin had told him to leave them alone, and he _had_. Whether or not this was directly because of their little chat was debatable, but the fact still stood that Slade had been quiet for far, far longer than he ever had been before. So why come back now?

Robin picked up one of the case files and thumbed through it again.

It was also odd the way Slade used disks again. Robin remembered the first time they had ever encountered them, the slate metal with the brush stroked 'S'. He had had no idea. Why would Slade use them again? Was he trying to reintroduce himself? Maybe with a new name?

Robin ran a palm down his face and flung the file back on the table.

Stupid idea. Slade wouldn't hide under a new identity. And he certainly wouldn't reuse the same introduction. He had always liked to keep things maniacally inventive. Still, the similarity _had_ to be more than a coincidence. Someone was toying with them. Someone _knew_ that the titans had fought Slade, and was intimately familiar with his methods. Almost like they hacked the titans' files.

Robin's eyes widened beneath his mask.

Had Cyborg checked to see if they had been hacked?

His eyes narrowed again.

He'd be sure to have Cyborg check, but that seemed too easy an answer. This felt like someone was playing a game with the titans. Impersonating their most dangerous opponent. This felt like...Slade. But how was that possible?!

Robin slumped back into the desk chair, running a hand through his hair. He picked up one of the 'R' disks, examining the imitation for the hundredth time. He grinned spitefully. Slade would be flattered.

Robin idly wondered if he would have had his own disks like these, if he'd stayed on as Slade's apprentice. 'S' for Slade, and 'R' for Slade's not-so-loyal protege.

The disk fell from Robin's hand, clattering against the bare floor.

"No..."

He knelt down to pick it up, and stared at his reflection in the chrome.

Slade had a new apprentice.


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 33

"You gotta stay here and watch him!"

"But we wanna come!" Beast Boy whined.

"I'm the leader!" The masked crusader declared, jabbing a thumb into his chest, "so I get to pick who goes!"

"Ok, Robin. We'll stay," Raven relented without protest. After all, he _was_ the leader.

"Come on, Star," he grabbed the girl's hand, "we gotta stop Killer Moth!"

"Let's go!"

The two titans ran into the fray, blasting the many minions distributed throughout the city.

"Star!" He cried, "one of them got me!"

"I'm coming!"

She flew over and struggled to pry the creature off of him.

"Oww! It's hurting me!"

The time for action was now. She couldn't risk losing her leader on the battlefield. Hand-to-hand combat was taking too long, so it was time to use some powers.

"I'll save you!" She cried, then, summoning her powers, blasted the thing off of him.

"Thanks," he grinned, then, his eyes widening beneath the mask, cried, "STAR! Watch out!"

She was dragged into the ground, as three of the creatures leapt upon her.

"Robin! Help!"

"Hyyyyah!" His foot connected with one of the monsters, throwing it off of her back, and with one fewer foe, she was able to knock the rest out with her powers.

"That was close!" She wiped her brow with the back of her hand.

"Oh no!"

"What is it, Robin?!"

"Killer Moth is attacking the tower!"

"We need to go back!"

She lifted her leader up by his arms and flew him back to where Raven and Beast Boy were trying to defend the titans' offspring.

"Don't worry!" Robin dropped to the ground in a clumsy summersault, "we're here!"

"Ahh, Robin, save us!" Beast Boy cried as one of the minions fought him.

"We need you and Starfire to defeat Killer Moth!" Raven shouted, in the middle of her own battle.

"I don't know if we can do it without Raven and Beast Boy, Robin!"

"We can, Star! I'm Robin, I can do _anything_!"

The girl rolled her eyes, but joined him in his assault on the villain.

Their attempts proved useless.

"Let's do some power moves!" He ordered, "we need extra power!"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Titans! We need to have a meeting, _now_."

Cyborg paused his video game, and Beast Boy looked back over the couch quizically.

"What's up?" Cyborg asked, "got any new leads on the disks."

"Not yet, but I think I have an idea about what might be going on," he said solemnly, then, looking around the room, asked, "where are the girls?"

Beast Boy shrugged.

"Haven't seen 'em."

"Raven's probably in her room," Cyborg guessed, "and last I saw Star she was with the ki-"

BOOM!

Robin's head snapped back at the sound, clearly coming from the direction of Starfire's room.

"STARFIRE!" He shouted, running out of the common room with Cyborg and leopard Beast Boy on his heels, "STARFIRE!" Robin kicked down her door with his boot, and the male titans burst into the room...

To see two disheveled children in a pile of ash and fluff and melted plastic.

"Dude..." Beast Boy turned back, eyes round, "what _happened_?"

"Starfire?" Robin rushed to her side, kneeling on the floor and looking into her eyes, "are you ok? What happened?"

She stared vacantly back, offering no response.

Robin frowned.

"Starfire?"

"Whoa," a gravelly voice carried from the doorway, "what exploded?"

"Killer Moth!" Marie cried triumphantly, "Robin kicked him down and I blasted him!"

"We saved Silkie!" Ryan added, pointing to the dust-covered mutant currently dressed in the bib and bonnet Starfire had bought for him.

"Uh...nice job?" Beast Boy was unsure as to what the correct response was in this type of situation.

"It looks like Starfire's room wasn't the only casualty," Raven deadpanned, her eyes trailing along the many mutilated bath toys.

"No kidding'," Cyborg surveyed the damage.

Aside from the assorted plastic boats and rubber ducks, which were beyond saving, the carpet had been badly singed, the walls would probably need repainting, and the bedspread would definitely need washing. But otherwise, to Cyborg's relief, the structure of the room remained intact. He smiled.

"Looks like everyone's ok," he smiled, "and there's nothin' we can't fix."

"Are you sure?" Beast Boy asked, fang jutting out of his frown as he gestured towards the bed, "'cause Starfire doesn't look so good."

"Is she ok?!" Robin demanded, as Raven held her healing glow over Starfire's head, then torso, and finally let her power fade.

"I'm not sensing anything wrong," Raven replied, puzzled, "maybe she's just zoned out."

Robin raised a brow.

"Zoned out?! While they _destroyed_ her room?!"

Raven shrugged.

"There's nothing wrong with her," she repeated.

Robin glared.

It wasn't that Starfire was unaware of Ryan and Marie wreaking havoc on her belongings and their toys. She could see and hear and feel as well as the rest of the people in her room. She just couldn't bring herself to do anything about it. It didn't seem, well... _worth_ it. Why should she try to act the role of a loving caregiver when the family she imagined she'd have was crumbling before her eyes? Future Robin was apparently a terrible husband, and current Robin was, in her opinion, an equally as terrible parent. So what was the point? The titans were her family, yes, but if Robin wasn't going to be a part of that family...would she still feel that way? She honestly wasn't sure. He was the one she spent the most time with, confided in, _loved_. She spent their hours apart wishing he could be by her side. She fell asleep as quickly as possible and sprang from bed the moment she woke, just for the sheer excitement of seeing him at breakfast - and that was _before_ they even started dating. But now? She stared impassively back at him, her heart void of emotion. If she couldn't make herself feel even the slightest bit of joy at seeing Robin...why bother trying to feel anything, or _do_ anything at all?

"Should we...move her?" Beast Boy asked, wrinkling his nose, "it stinks in here."

"Says the person that lives in a pig stye."

"Hey!" He cried, defending himself, "my room's totally clean now!"

"I definitely saw some dirty laundry out last night," Raven accused.

"DUUUUDE," Beast Boy dragged the word out, "those were _Marie's_."

"Like father like daughter," Raven noted.

Beast Boy scowled.

"So...what were y'all playing?" Cyborg focused on the kids.

"House!" Marie grinned.

"House?" Raven and Beast Boy shot each other confused glances.

"What is 'house'?" Raven asked.

Cyborg looked at them incredulously.

"You know - the game where you pretend you're the parents and the dolls are all kids?"

" _That's_ how they treat their _kids_?!" Beast Boy jumped under the cover of Raven's cape, "I'm the dad - what if they come for me next?!"

Raven rolled her eyes and pulled her cloak out from around him.

"Have you guys seriously never played?"

"I was raised by monks," Raven stated, "games weren't really their thing."

"I didn't have a ton of friends," Beast Boy admitted, "there wasn't really time for stuff like that. In the Doom Patrol."

Cyborg shook his head. He sometimes forgot that he was the only one that had a 'normal' childhood.

"So," Raven stepped towards Silkie, "I suppose _he_ was the 'baby'?"

Ryan nodded.

"Yeah," Marie affirmed, then proudly pulled two, mostly untainted objects, from the rubble, "but we left Beast Boy and Raven to protect him!"

Raven gingerly picked up the creepy musical monkey with the cymbals she vaguely remembered seeing in Beast Boy's closet once, and shuddered.

"That was Beast Boy," Ryan explained, then pointed to the blue boat in Marie's hand, "and that was Raven."

"I'm flattered."

"Hey," Beast Boy grinned, "at least you know you float their boat!"

Ryan laughed. Cyborg groaned. Marie and Raven ignored him.

"What? It was funny!"

"Who are you supposed to be?" Raven asked, noting the masks the two had clearly stolen from Robin's room.

"I'm Robin!" Ryan proclaimed proudly.

"And I'm Starfire!" Marie added.

Raven observed the green highlighter ink scribbled Marie's mask, clearly meant to imitate Starfire's eyes.

"I can see."

"Dude, you guys look just like us!" Beast Boy grinned, reminiscing, "we totally snuck into Robin's room one time, and we all tried on his costume and played with his stuff and pretended we were all Robins. It was _awesome_." He nudged Raven's arm, "even _Rae_ thought we looked cool!"

" _I_ looked cool," Raven clarified, " _you_ looked ridiculous."

"At least mine wasn't ripping!"

"Hey!" Cyborg cried at the insult, "it's not my fault I'm bigger than him! Scrawny little-"

"Are those my masks?" Robin came over, finally accepting that Starfire was indeed alive and simply _choosing_ to be unresponsive.

"Yeah," Ryan fidgeted, hanging his head.

"It looks like Marie has one too," Robin noted, "you know you're not supposed to go sneaking around in other people's rooms, right? Or taking their things?"

"Mommy and Daddy let me in _their_ room," Marie retorted, "and _they_ let me play with _their_ things!"

Raven grimaced at the idea of actually allowing both Beast Boy _and_ Marie free access to her possessions.

"Well, I'll let it slide this time," Robin informed them, "but next time just ask first, ok? And..." he looked at the green highlighter on Marie's mask, "don't color on them."

Hopefully it would come out in the laundry.

Robin glanced at Marie again, and realized that, for the first time, he didn't find it difficult to force himself to look at her face. With her eyes covered, it was easy for Robin to pretend that her eyes were Raven's color, and not his own. He had thought, briefly, about getting Marie her own mask, but he hadn't seriously thought she would consider wearing it. But maybe...

"Hey," Robin smiled, trying his best to endear himself to the child, "how about I get you a clean mask from my room?"

Marie regarded him with suspicion.

"Why?"

"So you can wear it. Like me. To hide your secret identity."

"What's a secret identy?" She asked, skeptical.

"It's like when you don't want anyone to know who you are. When you go outside."

"That's silly," Marie stated, "everyone knows you're Uncle Robin."

Robin furrowed his brow. He was loosing her.

"But-"

"I want one!" Ryan cried, forcing himself between Marie and Robin, "can I have a mask too? For my seekit ideny?"

"What?" Robin scowled at the interruption, "you don't need a mask. You don't _have_ a secret identity. If you go outside without your holorings, everyone will know who you are. You're _green_."

Ryan's eyes watered. He looked like he's been slapped.

Sure, it came out a little harsh, but Robin hadn't intended to be insulting. He was just stating a fact. Just like Raven had told Beast Boy on the first day they'd all met.

Beast Boy heard Robin's words. He saw Ryan's face. He had _felt_ exactly what Ryan was feeling. And he snapped.

GRRRRRRRR

Beast Boy leapt in front of Robin on all fours, bearing his teeth, and channeling the predators that dwelled within him.

" _You disgust me_ ," he growled, and, without further explanation, picked up the now-crying Ryan, and left the room, Marie trailing behind him.

 _This_ was what made Starfire snap out of her state of ennui. Yes, everything still seemed hopeless. But Starfire wasn't going to just sit back while a child's soul was crushed.

"ROBIN," the boy in question was forcibly lifted by the front of his shirt, "YOU ARE A CLORBAG!"

Starfire flung him on the ground, and he rolled to the side, off of some burnt rubber remains.

"Ryan does the worshipping of you, and yet you are not even capable of bestowing an article of clothing upon him?!"

"Starfire, I didn't me-"

"SILENCE," her eyes glowed green, and starbolts were bright around her fists, "from the time he arrived, you have done nothing but the ignoring of Ryan, and the being of mean, and the yelling, and the dismissing of him! You do the treating of him as if he is less than the larva of a narglemink! He may not be the biological son, but you are STILL his father! I know not how future Starfire could have done the enduring of so heartless a man," she shook her head, then, her starbolts dimming, she turned, and blinked away a tear, "perhaps...perhaps you are not truly the person I had thought."

Robin's jaw fell. He hadn't meant..he didn't _mean_ to...he was only...

"Starfire, can we please-"

"I would like you to do the leaving of my room now." Starfire turned her back to him, hugging herself tightly.

"But...Star..."

"Please," she asked softly, tears running down her face, "go."

Robin opened his mouth to protest, but Cyborg clamped a hand down on his shoulder and led him out of the room, and Raven put the door back in place, and Robin found himself being led to his room and sat on his bed, before Cyborg closed the door.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"So..." Raven started.

"That was, uh..." Cyborg rubbed his neck.

"Yeah."

The two titans stood uncomfortably in the hallway, unsure as to what their next course of action should be.

"Do you think Starfire wants-"

"Nah," Cyborg shook his head. It had seemed to him that she was in need of some alone time.

"Should we check on Beast B-?"

Cyborg's tummy grumbled.

"Would...would it be _bad_ if we just went for pizza?" He asked, guiltily. He was pretty sure Beast Boy would be fine with the kids. He was angry _for_ them, not _at_ them. And if they started screaming or something he knew Robin or Starfire would get out of their funks and jump into action. But emotions were running high. Tension was high. And Cyborg's hunger level was definitely high. He looked at Raven's stoic face, trying to gauge whether or not she was going to smack him for suggesting that they abandon their friends.

Instead, she shrugged.

"Sounds good to me."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Ms. Wilson sat back in her chair, impressed by the force shown in the titans' domestic dispute. And that wasn't even on the battlefield. She twirled a white lock of hair around her fingers as she contemplated. Perhaps they _would_ be worthy opponents. And with that level of power...who _knew_ how powerful those children were going to be, once they were grown. With the proper training... She smiled. They would be _unstoppable_. Especially the green one. The little girl would prove harder to break, she could tell. A rebellious streak, that one. But that was nothing she couldn't handle. After all, it wasn't like she hadn't had her own. Hers just involved a lot more bloodshed. But her father had seen to it that she was properly disciplined, when she got a little too enthusiastic. Invisibility was an asset, in her field. Killing bystanders was unwise. But no matter. He had beaten it out of her. Eventually. So too would she.

It really _was_ sweet of him, the way he'd let her play with his old things. They'd had their fun, training and bonding during his absence from Jump City. But apparently he'd made a promise that he wouldn't return, and intended to keep it. Though why, was still a mystery to her. Perhaps it had something to do with Robin. She grimaced. Her father had an unhealthy obsession with that boy. It made her want to slice him in half, and watch as his entrails dripped onto the floor. But she had a feeling that wouldn't be taken well. Regardless, she knew he had unfinished business with the titans. He had intended on destroying them. Not immediately, of course, but breaking them apart, little by little. Using their little friend...what was her name - _Terra_? - was a very nice touch. He had almost succeeded, too. But, much like her father, she would take her time. The cracks were already there, in the foundation of the team. At least, between the leader and the alien. She was looking forward to making them burst. Slowly, and painfully.

She really _did_ have to make an official introduction. Tonight would be a good opportunity to tease them. Breaking into the tower would be so disappointingly easy, with all of them so distracted. But Ms. Wilson was not one to give up an opportunity when it presented itself. That being said, she wasn't about to simply waltz into the tower and demand an audience, or take the children right away. There would be time for all of that. There was no need to rush something so delectable. So very... _ravaging_.


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 51

Robin knew that mask. The silver armor. The black and rusted orange. The markers of a sociopath Robin was all too familiar with. The figure standing there upon the couch was not that man, yet the resemblance was so striking, that Robin couldn't help but murmer, "Slade."

Robin moved forward, instinctively stepping between his team and the threat before them.

"But...isn't Slade...a _dude_?"

Dude? Ravager cocked her head. Such a common address for the man that almost destroyed the titans - on _multiple_ occasions. But then, the snake that strikes is feared far more than one that hisses. And Slade had never truly struck them down. Why then should he deserve their awestruck fear?

Ravager smiled.

"I doubt he'd appreciate that term," she noted, imagining the scowl beneath his mask, the way he'd want to rip the green boy's throat out with his fist, "he'd probably prefer something a little more...intimidating," she leapt down off the couch, causing all but Robin to step back, "of course," she continued, "it's all blust and blunder with him," she let her eyes trail lazily around the room, as if the man she spoke of was a topic unworthy of her full attention, "throwing empty threats instead of going for the kill," she shook her head in disappointment, " _pathetic_."

"That isn't Slade," Robin eyed her warily, mirroring the offensive pose his teammates were holding, "it's _Ravager_."

"Ravager?" Beast Boy repeated, "you said he - uh, _she_ \- was Slade's apprentice, right? Why didn't her suit, like, shock her or something?"

"Because," Ravager responded, forcing herself to stop from wincing at the memories of the early days wherein her first, electrified uniform brought her to tears after the slightest disobedience, "I'm not working with Slade."

"Huh?" Beast Boy frowned, "then what's with the outfit?" He gestured to the Slade-colored uniform.

"Is it a crime to wear the same colors?" She asked, sauntering towards him.

"No," Robin asserted, "but breaking and entering is."

"Do you see anything broken?" She asked innocently, gesturing around the room, "and I wouldn't have come in without an invitation. Isn't that right, Cyborg?"

Cyborg remained still, silently glowing orange.

"You have quite the gentleman on your team," she smiled affectionately at the robot, "he gave me the security codes, took me on a tour of the tower - though, I suppose he could have met me at the door," she frowned in mock disappointment before smiling again, "but there are always things to improve upon."

"What have you DONE to him?!" Robin demanded.

 _"Me?"_ She asked, placing a hand over her chest in appalment, _"I_ haven't done anything. It's _Cyborg_ you should be worrying about. Playing double agent and sharing your little secrets. He's been _such_ a help to me," she gazed at Cyborg fondly, then turned back to Robin, "what kind of a leader are you, Robin, if you can't even control your subordinates?"

"What do you WANT?" He growled.

"What I want," she drawled, casually drawing nearer to Robin, "is to make your lives easier," she reached for Robin's hand, but he snatched it away, "my friend," she gestured to Cyborg, "tells me that you have some...visitors, in your midst. It much be challenging," she noted, "without the right tools. Cyborg says you don't even _want_ them."

Robin's teeth clenched tighter.

"What I _want_ ," she said again, "is to help you. To take your... _responsibilities_ ," she nodded towards the children the other titans were guarding, "off your hands."

"Not happening," Robin growled.

"How sweet," she leaned in, so that her face was inches from Robin's own, "Slade was right about you," she cupped his cheek, "all justice, no thirst for power...a waste of your abilities," she shoved his face away, forcing him to stagger back from the unexpected force.

"Leave Robin ALONE!" Starfire's eyes glowed green, and she shot through the air, headed straight for Ravager, when something jumped onto her back, wrapped its spidery metal legs around her torso, and stuck what felt like a sharp needle into her spine. "AH!" She cried out at the initial, unexpected prick, but then, to her horror, she felt herself falling, unable to lift herself up with even the happiest memories of her most recent date with Robin.

"Uh, uh, uh," Ravager raised a finger, wagging it with each word, "it's not polite to interrupt someone."

Starfire growled and lunged for Ravager's boot, trying to pull her leg out from under her, but it didn't budge.

"What would be the point," Ravager kicked her hand away and kneeled to Starfire's level, "of eliminating your ability to fly if I didn't get rid of your super strength?"

"ARGHHHH!"

Starfire leapt upon Ravager, doing her best to use the hand-to-hand combat skills Robin had forced them to go over, again, and again, so that, in situations where their abilities were compromised, they could still hold their own. It hadn't seemed so hard, when Robin showed them. The boy wonder didn't seem to have any issues keeping up with the rest of the team, despite a complete lack of metahuman ability. Even Raven and Beast Boy seemed to be formidable without their powers. So Starfire had assumed it would be easy. A kick here, a punch there, and justice was served. It was hard to imagine how difficult it would be, without _her_ powers.

The whole time she'd been on Earth, Starfire had been taught to restrain herself. "I can't breathe," when she hugged Robin. "Put the couch down!" when she was cleaning. "PUT THE DOOR BACK!" That one time she _really_ needed the facilities when Beast Boy was getting out of the shower. So Starfire did. Sparring with Robin, she used a fraction of the amount of force she would need to to actually build her muscles beyond their natural capability. Doing so would have killed him. The weight in the gym weren't even challenging. Training, for Starfire, was really about controlling her starbolts and laser eyes - improving her aim, experimenting with the intensity - those were the things Starfire practiced. Without her alien muscle fibers acting the way they were supposed to, without her laser eyes; she was _human_. One that was not even remotely strong enough to compete with someone like Robin, and apparently Ravager.

Ravager threw Starfire off with ease, causing the girl's body to collide with the kitchen counter before falling back onto the floor, only to have tiger form Beast Boy jump upon her, while Robin rushed to Starfire's side.

"Are you ok?" He looked seriously into her eyes, and Starfire forced herself to nod.

"Raven," Robin barked, but he had no need. The empath was well aware of the turn the situation had taken, and was already in the midst of forming portals beneath Starfire, as well as herself and the children, ready to evacuate.

Unfortunately, Ravager's bots were quicker, and one, almost identical to the one pressed into Starfire's back secured itself to Raven.

The portals shut immediately, and all of Raven's efforts, even her forceful "Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!", did nothing to restore her powers.

Beast Boy, growling into Ravager's smirking face, was next, with much the same result. He morphed back into human form as soon as the injection took hold, and rolled off of Ravager.

"MOMMY!" Marie wailed, "DADDY!"

"DADDY!" Ryan cried, hoping his father would take charge.

Marie, however, was in no mood to wait for Robin, and took it upon herself to barrel towards Ravager, wrapping the villain in a black band of mystical energy.

"Impressive," Ravager admired, testing the strength of the bond, "but how do you fair in combat?"

"...what?" Marie asked, confused, "what do you me-OOOMPH!"

Marie was knocked to the ground by an expressionless Cyborg, who, by the looks of it, was standing up and preparing to do it over again.

"I see your physical training has been lacking," Ravager noted, as the unexpected trauma caused Marie's hold on the band to break, "I assume you have Robin to thank for that."

Marie tried to fly away, but Cyborg grabbed her ankle and was about to slam her into the ground, when Robin tackled him from the side, and ram Ryan head-butted him for good measure.

"Don't hurt Marie!" Ryan screamed, morphing into a leopard and slashing at Cyborg's machinery.

Robin struggled to rip him away. No matter what the circumstances, Cyborg was still in there, and Robin didn't want him coming back to consciousness in pieces.

Beast Boy and Raven forcing themselves up off of the ground, ran over to block Marie from her attacker, who, despite the father-son assault, was rising from the floor prepared to strike again.

"I must say," Ravager placed a hand on her heart as she stepped towards the groaning Starfire, "this really _is_ touching." She kicked Starfire's side, and Robin gritted his teeth to stop from abandoning Ryan and running to her. "The fact that you think any of you, in your current state," she gestured, "could do _anything_ ," she shook her head in pretended amazement, "it's inspiring." She stepped closer to the three titans that remained upright, "but I'm afraid the show is over. And the children and I must take our leave." She approached Robin first walking around him to reach Ryan, but he blocked her path with his bo-staff, and she paused, amused, before shoving it aside, "I appreciate your willingness to entertain me, Robin. But I have my eye on some opponents with more _potential_."

"We are NOT letting Slade get his hands on-"

"Slade has NOTHING to do with this," she snapped, dropping her calm, collected facade for a moment.

"Sounds like someone's a little upset," Robin needled, "what happened? Was being his apprentice not enough for you? Did you run away? Or," Robin smirked, "did Slade decide you just weren't good enough?"

Ravager growled, and Robin barely had time to raise a fist before she had drawn two blades, pressing them into a tight X against his neck.

Beast Boy moved to attack, but Raven grabbed his arm and held him back, then pulled Ryan behind them.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of, Robin," Ravager hissed, "I could kill you all in _seconds_."

Robin growled, and she pulled the swords tighter.

"You think you're _special_ because Slade wanted YOU first?" She laughed, an edge of acid in the tone, "he had an apprentice that could control the very ground you're standing on, apprentices that have taken out HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS - and what did YOU do for him?" She mocked, "stole a couple of things and play-fought with your little friends?"

"ARGHHHH!" Robin tried to back-flip out of his neck-hold, but Ravager shot her leg out behind his knees and tripped him so he fell upon the ground.

"Slade wanted you because he couldn't have you," Ravager held Robin down with a metal boot upon his sternum, "he wanted to break you. See you turn against everything you believed in, everyone you loved..."

Robin karate-chopped her leg, but Ravager just grabbed her blades and brought them down against his neck again.

"It was just a game to him, Robin. He failed, obviously," she scoffed, "but when he wanted to ACTUALLY conquer the world, who did he chose? Not YOU," she leaned her weight upon her foot, making Robin groan, "and when he wanted to take out his enemies? For GOOD? He chose me. Because, unlike YOU," she pressed one of the blades until a thin stream of blood dripped out of Robin's neck, "I actually accomplish."

"If you're THAT amazing," Robin tried his luck again, ignoring the sting in his neck, "then why'd he get rid of you?"

"He didn't," she answered, "I ASKED for this. To take out those he couldn't, alone. On my own terms. He was more than happy to let me."

"Slade doesn't LET anyone do anything. He's always in control."

"Not this time, Robin. Besides," she informed him, "plans have changed. I'm starting to see what Slade meant, when he talked about the Titans," she looked at Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire, all holding back in an effort to save their beloved leader, "you're almost too easy to destroy. It's barely worth the effort. You'd make _far_ better playthings than trophies."

"Dude, we are so NOT easy to-"

Raven smacked Beast Boy's arm, reminding him of the two priorities they were supposed to be guarding behind them.

"Yes, Beast Boy," Ravager switched targets for a moment, "listen to your girlfriend."

"Phhhh mphhhh mmmm gpphhh!"

Robin took this momentary distraction to swipe his leg into the back of Ravager's knee, and used his other leg to kick her torso, so that the tables turned and it was Robin pinning Ravager to the ground.

Ravager laughed from beneath him.

"Oh, Robin," she smiled, before knocking her forehead powerfully into his own, throwing him off enough to get a hand free and shove him to the side, then jumping atop his torso so that her knees fell on either side of his head, "you really thought that was going to work, didn't you?" She shook her head. "No matter how hard you try, I'm always going to end up on top," she sat down hard on his bruised sternum, making him gasp in pain, "but don't let that stop you," she lowered her face to his writhing one, so that their lips could easily have touched, "Slade wanted you, but he never really had you, did he Robin?" The boy wonder gnashed his teeth at her, "I, on the other hand," she moved so swiftly that Robin could scarcely blink before she caught his lips and bit down deep into his lower lip, coating her teeth in his blood, "am more than capable of claiming you." She licked the blood off of her teeth, shuddering in pleasure as she slowly ran her tongue across them.

"Get away from Robin!" Starfire yelled, managing to sit up despite the throbbing pain in her side.

"That's it?" Ravager asked in mock surprised, "I thought you, of all people, would put up more of a fight."

Starfire growled and stood up, taking a step towards Ravager before collapsing.

"I'm disappointed," Ravager sighed, "I'd hoped for a little bit of a challenge. It's as if none of you are even interested in keeping those attractive little specimens. But no matter. I'll make a _far_ better mentor."

Ryan and Marie screeched, and Beast Boy and Raven turned to see a fourth and fifth bot wrap themselves around each of the children, who both wailed upon the identical prick their parents had felt.

"DADDY!" Ryan screeched, "I can't change!"

"MOMMY!" Marie wailed, "get it off me!"

Raven wrestled with the bots' legs on Marie, while Beast Boy attempted to pull Ryan's bot off of his back.

"We're trying!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Trying, failing - either way, you've lost," Ravager raised herself from Robin's face, "and I'll be taking home my prizes."

"We WON'T let you do that!" Robin declared.

"You already have," she gestured about the room with her eyes, "the battle's over, Robin. If it even began at all. But don't worry," she smiled, "I'm sure we'll all see each other soon. In the meantime," she shifted her gaze to her brainwashed minion, "Cyborg?"

He walked, obediently, over and stood by her side.

"Would you mind?"

Cyborg's hands replaced her blades as soon as she removed them from Robin's neck, and remained there while she ventured towards Ryan and Marie.

"Cry all you want," she encouraged, as she threw Ryan, then Marie over her shoulders, "it won't be tolerated after today. Not where we're going."

"You won't get away with this," Robin promised, "we'll find you - we won't stop until-"

"Good luck, Robin," Ravager dismissed him, walking towards the main doors, "Titans," she turned, addressing the group, before walking into the hall, "it was an absolute pleasure."

"RYAN!"

"MARIE!"

"YOU CAN'T TAKE THEM!"

"RYAN! MARIE!"

The only response was the children's loud wailing, dying out as they moved further and further and _further_ away, until, at last, the tower grew silent.


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 35

"So..."

"So, indeed."

Robin scuffed his boot along the floor, at a loss for what else to do.

Starfire had heard his explanation. They had discussed it. She had told him he needed to do better. He agreed. What more was there to say?

Robin coughed.

They really _had_ beaten the subject to death. Robin had come up with a plan of action. Starfire had approved it. So why did the situation still feel so...unresolved?

He forced his avoiding eyes back to Starfire.

"So," he started again, bravely marching on despite the pit in his stomach, "are we...good?"

This question seemed to break the stalemate, and Starfire sighed, letting herself fall into a lean against the back of the couch.

"Oh, Robin," she shook her head, "I know not what to say. My mind is at conflict with the desires of my heart."

"Well," Robin took a step towards her, holding out his hand, "maybe we can find a solution."

Starfire looked up at him, then at his proffered hand. She took a deep breath, then grasped it, allowing the boy wonder to lead her away from sitting area and to the kitchen. Robin sat her down, then walked around to the other side of the counter, and started rummaging around in the fridge.

"Robin?" Starfire question, confused, "why is it that you are inspecting the contents of the fridge? Are we not going to-"

"Ha!" Robin grinned triumphantly, slamming the door to the fridge and placing a dish on the counter, "I knew we had a little glorg left."

Starfire couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"We've been talking for a while," Robin explained, "so I think we need a snack to keep our energy up."

He pulled a power bar out from one of the cabinets, and folded his arms on the table across from Starfire, ready to continue.

"Tell me what your mind's telling you," Robin suggested, "why don't we start with that?"

Starfire pushed the plate away from her. It was a kind gesture, but she could barely consume the pudding of sadness when she was distressed, let alone glorg. Which, judging by the lack of movement on the dish, had definitely expired. Robin noticed, but didn't comment.

"My mind tells me that I have been stepped on," she admitted, "much of the time I do not speak when I am upset. I do the accepting, instead of the fighting. But I fear that this has not been a wise decision."

Robin frowned sadly, and didn't interrupt.

"Over the time that we have done the dating, and the time that we have done the knowing of each other, there have been many of the moments I speak of. When I first did the joining of the titans, you became the leader. On Tamaran," she looked towards the glass wall, "a ruler is meant to have the respect of their people," she turned back to look Robin in the eye, "so I gave the same respect to you. On Tamaran, my people would not go against their leader. It would be..." she searched for the phrase, "looked below on?"

Robin nodded.

"You were our leader, Robin."

He winced at her use of the past tense.

"So I gave my trust to you. I had thought that you were the just and the righteous, and all of the qualities a true leader should possess. But I was wrong," she looked down at her hands, "I allowed the blindness. I had many of the questions, and did not ask. I allowed the doubts to be pushed aside," she took a breath before looking back up, "but I can do so no longer. I may have caused the discomfort of myself, but I will NOT allow Ryan to do the suffering just because I choose to be weak."

"I...understand," Robin's shoulders slumped, and he dropped his own uneaten snack back down on the counter, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I..I really tried. I _want_ to be a good leader. I want to be someone you can look up to. Someone you can trust," he stood up, "but I've failed you. I've failed everyone. Especially Ryan," he amended, "and I AM going to be better. I promise. But I understand if you want to break up, Star. I..." he tried his best to stop a tear from leaking out of his mask. His mentor would cringe if he saw him. Admitting defeat. Giving up. Not fighting. But there was something that his mentor hadn't taught him. The one thing any superhero with, at the bare minimum, their own sidekick, should know. How to be a _team_. How to be a good _leader_. How to _care_ about those around you. Robin was not an expert. But at least he was trying to learn. He swallowed before saying, "I don't deserve you."

He turned around, not in an effort to seem cool or dismissive, but just to save himself from having to witness the unbearable moment when Starfire affirmed something he would almost rather die than have happen to him. When she said she wanted to leave.

"Robin?" Her quizzical tone startled him, and he turned back despite himself, "do you not want to do the hearing of what my heart has told me?"

"Uh," he approached the counter again, "yeah."

"My _heart_ ," she informed him, "has done the consistent reminding that you did the joining of Slade to save us from the deadly nanobots,"

Robin raised an eyebrow.

"What does that have to-"

"and that you asked none of the questions when we did the joining of the team, because you did the believing that it was the current person that is important, not the past," she continued, "and that you did the chasing of a green canine around for many of the hours to help us find friend Beast Boy when he had been taken by the alien that did the resembling of an infant, and that you flew to many planets until you could do the finding of me in my hour of distress, when I had done the running away, and that you were kind in supporting Cyborg, should he decide to leave us for the titans east, and that you did the risking of your life to go into the caves of fire and demons to do the finding of Raven when we thought Trigon had done the destroying of her..." she took a breath, having not stopped to inhale during her speech, "and that, though you do not speak of it as freely as I like," she added the criticism, "you love me. Possibly more than the city we are entrusted with guarding." Robin's mouth dropped, "and, though my mind does the cautioning," she flew for the first time in hours, hovering above the counter, "I love you too."

Robin was unprepared when she swooped down and let herself fall, but his reflexes kicked in, and he was able to catch her just in time, though the momentum sent him somersaulting out of the kitchen with her in his arms, until they fell, with Starfire underneath him.

"Star, I'm really going to try. But, those things you said - they're all true. You shouldn't-"

His eyes widened as Starfire reached up and pulled his head down towards her, capturing his protesting mouth in a deep kiss.

"Starfi-"

"As I have done the saying," Starfire spoke, Robin's hair still firmly in her grasp, "I am done with the keeping of quiet, and allowing others to do the instructing of me," she smiled mischeviously, "and I believe it is time that I am the one that does the instructing of YOU. So you WILL do the being of nice and the making of time for Ryan, and you will STOP doing the telling of me to leave when you are locked in with the evidence, and..."

"And what?" Robin asked.

"And you will STOP interrupting," she pulled the boy wonder back down on top of her, and this time, he was more than happy to oblige.

"MY EYES!" A loud voice called from the entryway, where the doors had just opened wide.

But neither of the liplocked titans cared.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Seriously?!" Beast Boy cried, holding his grumbling stomach, "how are they STILL going?!"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Well," Cyborg started, in a sing-song-y voice, "when a daddy titan and a mommy titan love each other very much-"

"How can you joke about this?!" Beast Boy demanded, "you've both walked in on them before!"

"That didn't stop _you_ from being obnoxious about it," Raven deadpanned.

"Yeah," Cyborg folded his arms smugly, "now it's finally YOU'RE turn."

"UGH," Beast Boy threw his hands up in exasperation, then returned them to his middle, "when do you think they'll be done?!"

"Depends on who gets tired first," Raven turned to Cyborg, "who was it last time?"

Cyborg tapped his chin in mock thought, "I think it was Robin."

"Figures. Men." Raven shook her head.

"GUYS!" Beast Boy dropped to his knees, "I don't know how long I can last!" His stomach growled in agreement, "I'm so...hungry..." he curled up in a ball.

"You ate breakfast," Raven stated, "you'll live."

"I'm a growing beast!" Beast Boy whined, "and you guys had pizza!"

"You _do_ remember that we went grocery shopping after that, right?" Raven asked, "Cyborg took the bags..."

Beast Boy's eyes lit up.

"DUDE! Last one to Cyborg's room's a rotton e-"

He smacked his face into a metal arm, blocking his path.

"No _way_ I'm letting you into my room," Cyborg told him, " _I'll_ go."

Beast Boy grumbled as he rubbed his sore face.

"I think he broke my nose..."

Raven shook her head at his dramaticness. She could tell that he was fine, even from a few feet away. She was pretty sure he'd _actually_ be crying if his nose had been broken.

"MOMMY!" Marie's voice called from down the hall, "can we come out now?"

"No," Raven called back, "it hasn't been thirty minutes yet."

"But-"

"I thought you said you _knew_ how to count to sixty thirty times," Raven interrupted, aniticpating that, much like her genetic parents, Marie wouldn't like someone telling her what she was or, in this case, was _not_ capable of.

"I DO!"

"I won't believe you unless you show me," Raven replied calmly.

There was silence from the direction of Beast Boy's room.

"Are you counting?" Raven asked, not particularly concerned, but still wanting to know whether or not she and Beast Boy were about to have a tantrum on their hands.

"SHHHH!" Ryan called, "she's COUNTING!"

Raven smiled smugly.

"How did you DO that?" Beast Boy asked, "I can't get her to sit still, like...ever!"

"I told them they could have waffles for dinner if they didn't bother me for a half hour."

"...and that _worked_?"

Raven shrugged.

"Well, waffles aren't happening," Cyborg said, returning with the bags, "unless y'all wanna go and break up the love-fest in there?"

Raven shuddered. Beast Boy gagged.

"Don't act all grossed out," Cyborg chided them, "seems like that's where y'all're gonna end up. If Ryan and Marie're tellin' the truth."

Beast Boy gagged.

"Not. Happening. EVER." Raven growled.

"Relax," Cyborg waved them off, "so, what'll it be? Cold tofu? Tea bags?" He rummaged through the bags, "peanut butter and jelly?"

"Is the jelly vegan?"

"I'll pass."

Cyborg threw the jar of jelly at Beast Boy, so he could check for himself, and handed Raven a bag of chamomile.

"Just use the hot water in the sink," he sighed. Was he the only one who had a developed palate? Cyborg shook his head as he reached in and grabbed a bag of microwaveable curly fries, ripped it open, and stuffed a handful of the lukewarm potatoes in his mouth. He grinned to himself. Now _this_ was more like it.

"FITY-SEVEN!..."

"Uph-oh..." Cyborg said through his fries.

"FITY EIGHT!..."

Raven phased out into one of her portals, abandoning the boys.

"FITY-NINE!"

"Huh?" Beast Boy looked up from the list of ingredients he was struggling to read.

"A hundid!" Ryan cried in excitement.

"No," Marie scolded him, "it's SISTY."

"Oh..."

There was a brief pause.

"SISTYYYYYYY!" Ryan bellowed, as he and Marie burst through the door to Beast Boy's room, and ran straight for the boys.

"I'm hungry!" Marie announced, "Mommy said we could have waffles!"

Bloodhound-pup Ryan put his nose to the ground, sniffing for the trail to their beloved breakfast food. His nose led him to a bag by Cyborg's feet.

"WOOF!" He barked in excitement, tearing through the paper with his claws, trying to uncover the prize beneath.

"Ryan! You gotta stop it!" Cyborg tried to pull the growling dog away, but Ryan morphed into a chipmunk, sliding our from Cyborg's arms and back towards the bag, where he resumed rummaging as a bear cub, throwing non-waffle contents aside as he saw them.

"Ryan," a calm, but menacing voice threatened, "if you don't stop that, you're going to bed without dinner."

Ryan raised a bear-brow at Raven, who had somehow managed to acquire a mug to steep her tea in, and swatted the bag again.

"No dinner," she took a long sip, "means NO WAFFLES."

Ryan immediately transformed back.

"Good boy."

"Aww, man..." Cyborg groaned.

Despite Raven's intervention, there had been many casualties. The milk carton was bleeding out from a slice sustained by Ryan's nails, multiple bags of chips had been ripped open, the jar of marinara littered the floor in red glass, egg yolks leaked down the walls... But by some miracle, the waffle mix remained untouched.

Cyborg shook his head, starting down the hall, "I'll go get the mop."

Beast Boy dug through the remaining bags that Ryan hadn't touched, and lifted up a pack of imitation sausages.

"Hey," he grinned, "at least my tofu dogs are ok!"

"Too bad you can't cook them," Raven reminded him.

"Why can't he cook?" Marie tugged on Raven's cloak, much to the empath's irritation.

"Is Uncle Beast Boy in trouble?"

"Usually."

"I'm not in trouble!" Beast Boy defended himself, "Robin and Starfire are just being all lovey-dovey and blocking the kitchen!"

"What is 'love-ee-dov-ee'?" Marie asked.

"They're busy," Raven interpreted, glaring at Beast Boy, "and they _don't_ want to be interrupted."

"It's ok," Marie smiled, "we'll be quiet!"

"Wha-"

But before either of the titans could react, Marie had opened the common room doors, and she and Ryan walked right into-

"NO!" Beast Boy cried, shoving his hands over Ryan's eyes, "don't look!"

"STOP!" Raven captured Marie in a ball of black.

"Uh...guys?" Robin raised a brow, comfortably seated two feet away from Starfire on the couch.

"Greetings my bumgorfs!" Starfire smiled, gliding over the couch like her old self and enveloping the children in a hug, "why do friends Beast Boy and Raven request that you not enter?"

"We thought..."

"I...uh...I saw..."

Starfire blushed.

"I can offer my assurance that the event you witnessed was not intended to discourage you from joining us."

"Uh..." Beast Boy gulped, "that's ok - I'm good!"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"So what _have_ you been doing in here?"

"Well," Robin started, "after, uh...we were actually talking about Ryan." He smiled in the boy's direction, and Ryan, clearly unaccustomed to such things but grateful nonetheless, smiled brightly back, fangs beared in a Beast Boyish grin.

Robin stepped towards him and kneeled down to his level.

"I was thinking," he put a hand on Ryan's shoulder, "you and me haven't had a lot of time to hang out together."

Ryan nodded eagerly, thrilled to have such undivided attention.

"So, what do you say we do something just me and you?" Robin asked warmly, "the amusement park, the aquarium - anything you want."

"Can..." Ryan started shyly.

"It's okay," Robin encouraged, "anything you want."

"Can we do a...a sleepover?" Ryan immediately lowered his eyes to the ground not wanting to witness as his father rejected him yet again.

"Um..." Robin took a moment to consider the logistics of this request. Despite the makeout session Beast Boy had witnessed, he wasn't going to further tarnish his reputation as a responsible _professional_ , so there was no way the three of them were sleeping in Star's room. And Robin's room? He himself had almost sliced a finger off while feeling around one of his drawers for a pen, and finding a misplaced bird-a-rang. He'd stepped on throwing stars on numerous occasions, and would doubtlessly have had his feet covered in bandages if he hadn't been wearing boots. If Ryan, a shapeshifter whose forms didn't all have padding, were to cut himself... Starfire would _kill_ him. No. He _wouldn't_ endanger Ryan's life. He was trying to bond with him, not kill him.

"I'm sorry," he frowned, "but a sleepover is..." he noticed Starfire's eyes glowing green, "...a GREAT idea!" He laughed fakely. "But...uh..." He wracked his brain for a plausible solution to the problem. They could do a camping-style sleepover in the common room. But again, there were too many ways Ryan could destroy things or hurt himself. He could switch rooms with Starfire, but then she'd have the same health risks as Ryan. Which left Terra and Raven's rooms, which were both off-limits, and... Robin sighed. He _knew_ it had been cleaned, but the idea of stepping into what was once the most repulsive room in the tower still sickened Robin's organized nature to the core.

"We have to sleep in Beast Boy's room," he glanced at the teen in question.

"Sure," Beast Boy shrugged, "I don't know how many more nights I could stand sleeping with Raven in the bunk bed anywa..." He noticed the glare Raven was giving him, and the way Robin was smirking. "Uh, that's fine!" He squeaked in closing.

"Ryan and Marie can just share again," Raven affirmed, though she continued scowling at Beast Boy.

"Where are YOU sleeping?" Marie demanded, looking from Beast Boy to Raven and back.

" _I_ will be in _my_ room," Raven responded icily, "just like _you_ will be in _your_ room, and _Beast Boy_ will be in _his_ room, because you don't need us to sleep with you."

"But-"

"Robin _and_ Ryan will be there," Raven interrupted, "I'm sure they'll scare away the tentacle guy."

"NO," Ryan cried, in conflict with his friend, "JUST me and Daddy are having a sleepover. NOT YOU." He pointed angrily.

"FINE," Marie shouted back, "I don't want to do a sleepover with you ANYWAY!"

She stuck out a pink tongue, and Ryan stuck his out in kind.

"Ryan," Robin adopted a stern tone, "that's not nice!"

It took Robin a _lot_ of willpower not to chastise Marie as well.

"Well, she's _not_ sleeping in my room," Raven stated, "I need a night ALONE."

"And _I_ don't need a night alone?!" Beast Boy cried.

"Not as much as _I_ do. Unless you want me to lose control of my emotions and blow up the TV."

"Fine," Beast Boy grumbled, folding his arms, "there's a couch in the room I'm in," he avoided the possessive reference to the girl who, he was slowly accepting, was _not_ coming back.

Marie started to protest.

"But I wanna-"

"Oh, this is a most joyous occasion!" Starfire crushed Robin and Ryan to her chest in a bear-hug that Ryan happily returned, and Robin struggled to breathe through, "we must celebrate this night of the father-bumgorf bonding!"

"Ok," Cyborg came back in, holding the remainder of the groceries, "I think we have JUST enough eggs left for those waffles."

"Glorious!" Starfire clapped, "I shall procure the celebratory extra-spicy mustard!"

Raven and Beast Boy internally sighed in relief at the distraction, which tore Marie away from the subject of sleeping mates. That was something they could deal with after bath time.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Yes, titans," Ms. Wilson watched the group through Cyborg's eye, "enjoy yourselves."

She swiveled in her chair to face the many insectoid Robots. She had thought that their conflicts would distract them from her little minions. But happiness could be an equal if not more effective cause for disarmament. Soon her little robots would be all over the tower, putting the necessary pieces in place. When their mission was completed, she had only to decide when to strike. She chuckled. The titans wouldn't even know there was a correlation. No disks with cryptic letters adorned these bots, and she had been careful to ensure that they were made from all new materials, none of which would be traced back to her father. It was going to be so much _fun_ to see the titans race around, trying to find some new villain to blame, when it was her all along. And in the meantime? She laughed. Her original plan remained. Introduce herself on her own time, and make them her little, tauntable playmates. All while enjoying her little inside joke.

Ms. Wilson looked back at the monitors. The meal was ending. The time to strike would be soon. In just a few short hours, they would all be tucked into bed. Caught up in their own dreams and desires, completely, wonderfully oblivious to what was being set in motion.

"Soon," she told the waiting bots, "soon."


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 36

"Raven! You can't just leave me here!"

"I definitely can."

"Raaaaaaavennnnn," Beast Boy whined, "pleeeeaaaseee?"

"No."

"She's going to KILL me!" Beast Boy dropped to his knees, grabbing the bottom corners of her cloak and bunching them in his hands, "I'm begging you! Please? Don't go!" He buried his face into the cloth, and Raven snapped her cloak out of his hands.

"You're fine. She's already sleeping," Raven glanced at the girl currently curled up in Terra's bed.

"But for how long?!" Beast Boy whispered urgently.

Raven started walking away.

"Wait!" Beast Boy stretched his arm after Raven, as if it was going to make a difference, "don't-"

SWISH

The door shut.

"...go."

He sighed, letting his arm fall limp, then got up off of the ground. Well, he might as well try to pass out - maybe that way he wouldn't feel the excruciating pain as Marie tore him apart. Raven had told Marie that all of them would be sleeping in the same place. 'Place'. Interpreted by Marie as 'in the same room', and meant by Raven as 'in the same building'. Her sort-of-not-quite-but-still-kind-of-lie had seemed to work, and since Raven had gone to sit on the couch until Marie fell asleep, Marie must have assumed that was where her so-called parents were sleeping. In reality, Raven had chosen the couch because she felt it was JUST far enough away for Marie to not notice the lack of emotional energy coming from Raven when she abandoned Beast Boy and left him alone with the little demon. Both literally and figuratively.

"Meh...no...go...way..."

Beast Boy's ears perked up at the sound of Marie's mumbled words. He wanted so very badly to hide under the couch. Instead, he inhaled deeply and held his breath, tiptoeing over to the side of the bed to investigate.

"...leave...alone..." Marie turned in her sleep, batting a hand at the air, narrowly missing Beast Boy's face as he leaned over to watch her. He took a step back.

Marie's forehead was furrowed, her body tense - was she having a nightmare? Beast Boy knew all too well how the things that lurked in the back of the conscious mind could reign, unchecked, as soon as slumber fell. His tended to focus on things he feared he might do, and things he hadn't done, but deeply wished he had. Getting himself kicked off of the team for costing them a fight, or arguing with Robin. Not chasing after Terra, that first night she ran from them, and convincing her to trust him. Infecting Cyborg with another virus that couldn't be fixed by a green ameoba. Not turning into something strong enough to drag his parents' boat ashore. Turning into the Beast and killing Raven. Not telling Terra he was still her friend, on that last tipping point, before she surrendered herself completely to Slade. These were the things that terrorized Beast Boy's nightmares, so that he awoke in cold sweats, and the only way to calm himself was to walk the halls of the tower and stop at the door of each titan's bedroom, listening for the distinct heartbeat of the occupant. That was only for half of the nightmares, though. There was nothing he could do for the others. The ones about what had already come to pass. He looked down at the restless Marie. What did she have to be scared of? Did she also dream of becoming a beast?

"...my...cookies..." Marie batted at the air, rolling onto her other side, "...not...yours...Ryan..."

Beast Boy let out the breath he was holding, sighing in relief. Of course she didn't have those problems. Not with both parents alive, and a team to help her control her powers, not to mention Raven there to heal Ryan when things got out of hand. Her life was probably peachy, out there, in the future. He smiled to himself as he moved to return to the couch.

"...Ryan...get...Mark...way..."

Beast Boy stopped cold in his tracks. Had she just said... _Mark_?

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

The metal bot moved stealthily around the main ops room, hiding in the shadows. Scanning its surroundings, it scuttled towards the kitchen - hiding behind the island. Waiting. There had been no complications with disabling the tower's security system. Cyborg had, unwittingly, provided all of that information through his eye cam. It had made the break in almost painfully easy. No, the bot in the common room was not concerned with being caught on camera, but human - or Tamaranean - detection would be equally as problematic. So it stayed put, analyzing the incoming sound waves, to see if anyone was walking on the outskirts. A few moments later, the coast was approved clear. The bot made for the nearest wall, and raced up its side, heading for the security cameras.

A second bot scuttled silently along the floor of the med bay, heading for the computer, and quickly, noiselessly as possible, typed in the security codes it had been programmed to, and pulled up the titans' medical data.

A third and fourth bot scanned the stairwell before crawling down into the basement, where they made themselves quite comfortable in a darkened corner, lying in wait. Their time would come. But it was not tonight.

A fifth, and final bot, programmed with the knowledge that the codes Cyborg had used had _not_ included the one it would need to enter the evidence room, pressed itself against the floor, its legs retracting, compressing into a thin disk, which just barely slid beneath the door before expanding again on the other side. This one's mission was nonessential. This one, as Ms. Wilson had so fondly said to its uncomprehending visual sensors, was just for fun.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"...zinthos."

Raven lowered herself back onto her bed, feeling rested for the first time in days. Uninterrupted meditation, and the knowledge that she wouldn't need to sleep in a cramped bunk bed, had done wonders for her psyche. Plus, it didn't hurt that Marie and Beast Boy were far, _far_ away from-

"AH!" Raven cried, shooting back in shock, " _Beast Boy_..." she growled, " _why_ are you in my ROOM?!"

"Raven!" He grabbed her hand, attempting to pull her off the bed, "you gotta come with me!"

"Why?" She let herself be dragged to the edge of the bed, "did something happen to Marie?"

"No, I-AHHHH!" Beast Boy fell back on the floor, _hard_ , when Raven unexpectedly retracted her hand.

"Get out. NOW!" She used her powers to shove him towards the door.

"Wait!" He tried to convince her, "it's IMPORTANT!"

She let the black force field fall.

" _What_?" She demanded. He was lucky she had just meditated. Pre-meditation Raven would already have blasted him into the wall.

"Ok, so I was just sitting there, and then all of a sudden Marie was all 'wahh' and 'go away' and 'don't touch the cookies' so I went over to see what was up and she was all rolling and whining and then she was like..." he gulped, unsure of how Raven would take this, and said, more slowly than the rest of his rushed tale, "'Ryan - get Mark away!'"

Raven waited.

Beast Boy just looked at her in expectation.

"...and then?"

"There's no 'AND THEN'!" Beast Boy cried, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her, "don't you know what that MEANS?!"

"NO," Raven pushed his hands off of her, "I _don't_."

"It MEANS that she has a brother!"

"That's ridiculous," Raven folded her arms.

"It's NOT!"

"She was _dreaming_. 'Mark' was just a figment of her imagination."

"She told Ryan to get him _away_ from her! Like Ryan KNEW him!" Beast Boy cried.

"Marie hasn't said ANYTHING about anyone else in the future. If she had a brother, we'd know about it," Raven argued, then, under her breath, said, "it's not like she's _quiet_."

"DUDE! You're not even listening!"

"I _am_ listening. But all I'm hearing is YOU wasting my time because of some meaningless dream YOU," she stabbed his chest with her finger, "didn't even HAVE!"

"She said MARK! _MARK_!" He emphasized, incredulous, "desn't that mean anything to you?!"

Raven stared at him.

Beast Boy's eyes widened.

"Oh..." Beast Boy smiled sheepishly, but it lacked authenticity. And Raven felt the utter nothingness in place of where Beast Boy's emotions should be. Not even a glimmer of happiness masking it.

"You, uh..." Beast Boy rubbed his neck, "you don't know who that is, do you?"

Raven shook her head.

"I mean, you shouldn't know...you couldn't have...I mean, I never - I didn't-"

"So who is he?"

Raven hadn't intended it to sound as short and impatient as it did, and she certainly didn't expect the twinge of deep, dark, overwhelming sadness, the kind that swallows you whole until you can't breathe, the kind that constricts your chest and makes your heart ache...she had never felt anything so...so - and then it stopped. Like a faucet, shut off as easily as it was turned on, overflowing the tub. And the nothingness was back. She looked at Beast Boy. Was...was _that_ what he was hiding? Was that what lay beyond the wall? Was that what Robin felt, behind his own? And what could possibly have caused it?

She didn't have to wait long to find out.

"Um, Raven?" Beast Boy asked, "is it ok if I sit down?" He gestured to the space on the bed beside her.

"N-" she saw the look on his face and stopped herself from making her automatic reply, "sure."

"Thanks."

Beast Boy sat on the edge of the mattress, shoulders slumped, turned his head to face her, and started talking.

"You know how your dad is all evil and stuff? And you spent, like, your whole life wishing he'd just go away?"

It was a gross understatement, but Raven managed to eke out a nod instead of violently correcting him.

"Well, my dad wasn't like that. He was awesome," Beast Boy smiled, wistfully, "he'd take me out and show me all these cool animals and tell me all these awesome facts about them and - one time - he even let me check out his lab!"

Raven raised a brow. Beast Boy's father had a _lab_? Labs meant science. And Beast Boy...he wasn't really what she'd call a genius.

"That was nice of him," she offered.

"Yeah, it was," he smiled, "anyway," his face turned somber, "he saved me. He and my mom."

He looked away for a moment, remembering, and Raven felt the nothingness cracking.

"Was your mom also a scientist?" Raven guessed.

"Yeah!" He grinned, distracted, "how did you - oh, the lab."

"Yup."

"Hehe..."

"So you mother..." Raven prompted.

"They did stuff with animals - with genes and stuff," he clarified, "so we were in Africa, studying them."

"That's...pretty cool," Raven admitted.

"Yeah, it was! But then," his smile fell, and he looked away again, "I got really sick with this thing called sakutia - that you don't usually recover from," he put it lightly, but Raven understood his meaning.

"What did they do?" She asked, genuinely curious as to how Beast Boy was still sitting in front of her.

"They were working on this genetic machine thing," he rolled his eyes up as he tried to remember, "it had something to do with separating genes or something? Anyway," he looked back at Raven, "they somehow used it to turn me into this type of monkey that can survive it, until I beat the disease, and it worked. But, when I turned back..." he pulled his glove off and flexed his fingers, "it made me like this."

"I'm sorry," Raven said, genuine.

"Don't be," he put the glove back on, "it's the reason I got to be a titan! And meet all of you!" He grinned broadly, trying too hard to compensate for the seriousness of the conversation.

"What happened to them?"

Beast Boy's smile dropped. Leave it to Raven to cut straight to the point.

"We lived on a campsite - you know, with huts and everything? And there was this flood..." he took a breath before continuing, "and we got in a boat, but there was this waterfall, and they...they told me to fly away," he put his head in his hands, and the dam overflowed once again, almost knocking Raven over with the impact, "and I KNOW I could have saved them. I KNOW I could have. But...I didn't..."

Raven watched as the tears began to fall, but said nothing. She wasn't there, so who was she to lie to Beast Boy and tell him he was wrong? Maybe he could have saved his parents. Maybe not. Her gut told her it was the latter. The Beast Boy she knew would die for his teammates, if he had to. He was probably just too young to have done anything, even if he wanted to. And he certainly wouldn't have had titan-level training. As far as Raven knew, he might not even have been able to control his powers at that point. Still, she was not one to sugarcoat, so she refused to indulge in pretended facts. Thus, in lieu of comforting him with possible lies, Raven reached her arm out and put a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder, offering mild human contact instead. Unfortunately for Raven, Beast Boy took his as a sign that it was ok to grasp said arm and pull her into a hug, letting his tears stain her cloak. Raven politely said nothing, but patted his back, until, much like his tears, the sadness lessened into a stream, and then a trickle, and then a drip, until it was sealed again, and Raven could feel it no longer.

"Feeling better?"

Beast Boy wiped his nose on his sleeve and nodded.

It was...unexpected, to say the least, this unprompted, and extremely unfortunate history of Beast Boy's. It was something Raven herself would never have brought up, were the situation reversed. And that sadness...that sorrow...Raven had never felt anything like it. She certainly hadn't felt anything but joy at defeating her father. She wasn't sure exactly what her mother's status was, or that of Azarath. If anyone had asked, she would have said that there was just no point. There was no use dwelling on things that had already happened. What was done was done. But, in truth, the thought of confirming that her mother, that _Azarath_ was gone, was too much. She may have considered Earth, and its associated dimension, her home, and her years in Azarath might not have been all sunshine and roses, but they were a part of her, and Raven couldn't help but feel attached. But, even so, even if she _had_ confirmed that the world she was brought up in had ceased to exist as a direct result of her demonic father, she doubted she would feel even _half_ the amount of pain and guilt and longing, and a hundred other heart-ripping emotions Beast Boy had stoppered. She wondered if she should envy him. That he actually had people to miss. But she was in no way envious of what she saw beneath that happy-go-lucky veneer. Now that she knew what Beast Boy had been hiding, she wasn't sure she wanted to. When something upset him now - did it add to that well of misery? Or, because it couldn't possibly compare, did it simply bounce off the wall, leaving only the forced happiness behind? Not that Beast Boy was never truly happy, of course. But there was a difference between someone who _was_ happy, and someone who had happy _moments_. Beast Boy, apparently, fell well into the latter category.

Raven refocused. None of that was relevant. None of what Beast Boy had _told_ her, was relevant. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered why they had even started this discussion in the first place.

"Did you seriously just come into my room to tell me about your parents?"

"Huh?" Beast Boy was caught off-guard.

"You could have just said that," her face softened, "it's like you told me - you're not alone. We're here for you - all of us. If you need us."

"Oh," he wiped the rest of the moisture out of his eyes with the back of his hand, "no, I just, uh, got a little off track I guess," then, thinking about it more, he added, "but you would have found out sooner or later. Ya know, since we're married and all." He leaned towards her and waggled his eyebrows for effect.

Raven rolled her eyes and pushed him away, feeling, to her relief, the thin threads of his usual surface-level joy coming back to him.

"Again - _why_ are you here?"

"Uh," Beast Boy scratched his head.

"...you forgot?" Raven was quickly regaining her former irritation.

"MARK!" Beast Boy cried jumping up in excitement, then realizing his intensity, sat back down, "my dad's name was Mark."

"Your dad's name was Mark?"

"Mark Logan."

"Is that why you keep calling us 'team Logan'?" Raven made the connection.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy grinned, then, face falling a little, "I guess you wouldn't have known that."

Raven shrugged.

"I assumed it was something like that. Or some weird team name you came up with."

"Hey! It's not weird! It's my last name!" He defended, "and probably Marie's!"

"Marie Logan?" Raven said it aloud, it sounded so... _normal_. Raven didn't even _have_ a last name. Her mother must have had one - she _was_ from Earth, after all - but it's not like Raven had a legal birth certificate where such things were denoted.

"...so nice."

"What?" Raven was pulled from her musings.

"I said," Beast Boy repeated, "I didn't think you'd be so nice. To me. Letting me pick out her name."

"I wouldn't say you 'picked' your last name, but you're welcome."

"No - for letting me name her _Marie_."

"I don't know why I did," Raven said truthfully, "it's just so... _average_. For a titan. And for you - I mean your name's _Garfield_."

"Hey!" Beast Boy scowled, "it's not my fault that's what they named me!"

"So why'd you pick Marie, anyway?" Raven asked, only mildly curious, "did you have a friend with that name or something?"

"No," Beast Boy beamed, "it was my mom's name!"

"Oh," Raven responded, "that's nice of you, wanting to name your kids after them," Raven repeated the names, "Mark and Marie Logan. I guess that's not so bad. It's a lot better than Trigon and Arella."

Beast Boy stared at her, as if in shock.

"What?" Raven raised a brow, "I just gave you a compliment. You're welcome."

"Thanks..." Beast Boy maintained his expression of mixed fear and disbelief.

"Do...I have something on my face?"

Beast Boy shook his head slowly.

"So...you're not gonna freak out?"

"Why? Because my future self had a moment of kindness?"

"Um...because I came here to tell you about _Mark_..." he said slowly.

"Yeah," Raven said condescendingly, "you came here to tell me about some ridiculous dream that Marie had about some made up person stealing cookies."

"Not just _any_ person," Beast Boy said, "someone named Mark, who was small enough that Ryan could help get him away from Marie."

Raven regarded him, "so?"

"So if Marie's dreaming about a little dude named Mark, and she's never met my dad..."

The gears in Raven's head started turning, and the not-so-puzzling puzzle fit into place. No wonder Beast Boy was concerned about Marie's dream. Raven hadn't even wanted one - who would want TWO of those little nightmares? Raven trained her eyes on Beast Boy. That was who.

"BEAST BOY..." she growled, eyes glowing red, "I'm going to KILL you..."


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 37

On the bright side, it _was_ Robin's turn to do laundry.

The boy wonder crouched amid the obstacle course of sheets and pillows, hiding behind a large mound of blankets.

"Hyaaa!" Ryan yelled, unexpectedly, from somewhere above Robin. The teen looked up just in time to see Ryan barrel into his chest and pin him to the floor, "I got you!"

"Nice," Robin smiled weakly, trying to mask the pain of having the wind knocked out of him, "how'd you do that?" It wasn't every day someone caught him off-guard.

"I was a fly! I did suveelens! Then I turned back and got you!" Ryan's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Daddy! I won't do it again!" He shut his eyes and winced, as if waiting to be shouted at.

Robin furrowed his brow. Had he missed something?

"Ryan," Robin readjusted and knelt to his level, "it's ok. I'm fine, see?" He pounded his chest to make a point, and struggled not to cry out when he hit his still-tender ribs.

"But..." Ryan opened his eyes, "you said no fly suveelens."

"When did I-oh," of course. _Future_ Robin had said that, "do you remember why I told you that?"

Ryan nodded emphatically, eager to show that _he_ was the kind of boy that _listened_.

"Can you tell me what I said?"

"Spying on people at home is bad."

Robin was glad that his future self had made a distinction between indoor and outdoor crime-fighting activities. He didn't want to be labeled as a criminal by Ryan just because he had his team run surveillance on the city. But it still begged the question...

"Who were you spying on when I told you that?"

"Marie saw a kistal in Uncle Beast Boy and Aunt Raven's room, but they said we couldn't play with it. So Marie did lookout, and I was a spy."

"Did you break the crystal?" Robin asked, assuming the most logical outcome.

Ryan shook his head.

"Marie said where it was, and I was trying to find it - but then there was scary noise and a ghost in the bed!"

Robin's face paled.

"And I got scared and turned back asidenally, and I fell, an'...an'..." Ryan's eyes teared up at the memory, "Aunt Raven yelled at me! And she banged on the evidence room really loud, and inerupdid you, and then she yelled at you and you yelled at me..."

Robin paused before responding, trying to get the image of what had _actually_ happened out of his head, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Ryan. That wasn't very nice of me."

Ryan nodded, sniffling.

"Oh!" He yelped, jarring Robin with the abrupt change in tone, "and you said I shouldn't be a fly 'cause you and Mommy are scared when you can't find me. 'Cause I'm too small."

Robin smiled. Maybe his future self wasn't such a terrible parent after all.

"Well, when we're playing titan attack," Robin used the name Ryan had so cleverly chosen, "it's ok. You can turn into anything you want," then, remembering Beast Boy and Raven's description of the bathtub incident, corrected, "anything that's not a fish." He and Starfire may have made up, but the ice he was standing on would be substantially thinner if he let Ryan suffocate himself.

"So," Robin got up off of the ground, stretching his cramped muscles, "what time does your communicator say it is?"

Ryan proudly produced the communicator Robin had let him borrow at the start of their sleepover, and read the glowing numbers aloud. It's two of the ones and one of the threes and one of the..." he struggled to remember the last digit, "one of the sixes!"

"That sounds pretty late, doesn't it?"

"No," Ryan shook his head aggressively, "it's early!"

"Only if you're on army time," Robin joked.

Ryan looked at him oddly, "what's army time?"

"Never mind," Robin smiled.

Robin glanced at their sleeping accommodations, which currently consisted of a bunk bed with two bare mattresses. He looked back at the crumpled sheets on the floor, and spotted a pillow with a nice big bootprint on it. In retrospect, maybe their sleepover should have taken place in the gym.

"So..." Robin said aloud to himself, "how should we do this...?"

Half of his brain was urging him to tidy up, and immediately restore the room to its former, proper order. The other half was begging him not to sleep on sheets that had just been sweat on, stepped on, used as a tissue by Ryan, and slept on by a combination of Beast Boy, Raven, Ryan, _and_ Marie over the past few days. Robin stepped over to the closet, and opened it a fraction of an inch, fearing that, despite the earlier, uncluttered state of Beast Boy's room, his closet might very well have been full to bursting. He his best to examine its contents, and, as expected, there were no extra sheets. No shock there. Beast Boy wasn't exactly known for planning ahead. Not that he could have planned for having both beds occupied as a result of the titans' future progeny.

Robin closed the closet and turned back to Ryan.

"Hey - you know what might be cool?"

"What?" Ryan asked, excited.

"What if we slept on the floor? Like we were camping?"

It wasn't that Robin was afraid of a little dirt. Half of his job included being thrown into broken buildings and gum-covered streets, and those were anything but clean. But the idea of bringing that refuse into a bed? Maybe it was because of the way he was raised, but the only time you went to your own room was when you were cleaned up after a battle. If you weren't, you were in the med bay. There was an important separation, in his mentor's home, of business and pleasure. Or business and crime fighting, in his case. No trace of their battles was ever allowed to enter the house. True, the titans did not have to worry about such things. They were always on call. Everyone knew who they were, where they lived - their home was a giant, T-shaped tower. No one was about to mistake it for anything other than the headquarters of a team of superheroes.

Still, though Beast Boy flung himself onto his bottom bunk, without changing out of his bloody uniform after Raven had healed him, and Starfire slept with her boots, encrusted with the grime of their most recent battle, though Cyborg had no true bed to protect, and Raven just took her cloak off and considered that enough, Robin would not. He would do his best to shower before bed, and put on a fresh outfit. He would make sure his bedset was pristine. He would make it so that, with the exception of his uniform, anyone walking into Robin's bedroom would just see a minimalistic room with a bed and a closet and a desk. A room anyone could be living in. A room that screamed Robin as much as it screamed Starfire, or Raven, or Beast Boy or Cyborg, which is to say - it had no personality at all. Just like the one he had grown up in. The one that his guardian's butler had so carefully cleaned each day, so that, if one shred of evidence of his activities was left when Robin went downstairs for breakfast in the morning,it was always gone by the time he had returned. Old habits died hard, it seemed. Or not at all.

"COOL!" Ryan cried, bouncing with energy.

"Ok," Robin grinned, "then let's get to work on building a tent with these blankets."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Is it safe to wake her up?"

"No. Touching her will kill you."

The only reason Beast Boy hadn't been killed himself, or at least severly injured, was that he had, much like Ryan, turned into a fly too small for Raven to get a handle on, buzzed out into the hall, and then bolted for Marie's room as a cheetah. Though Raven met him there, rising up from the depths like a shark ready to bit his head off, and had indeed started crushing him with a black claw, Beast Boy's strangled, "Marie's right there!" stopped her. Woe to Raven if Marie woke up to find her beloved 'Daddy' being murdered. At that point, Raven was pretty sure that all the self-control her future self had taught the girl would go flying out the window. She and her surviving teammates would be lucky to get out alive. Raven wasn't sure if that would be any worse than letting Beast Boy live, though. At least, if she killed him now, she wouldn't be stuck having children.

"Marie?" Beast Boy shook her shoulder gently, "Marie, it's time to wake uuuuuup," he said in a sing-songy voice, hoping that would entice her.

Marie mumbled in her sleep, but otherwise ignored him.

"Marie?" He tried again, louder this time, and shook her shoulder with a little more force, "wake uuuuuuuuup!"

She rolled away from him.

"Marie, we need to talk to you about something. Can you please wake up?" He asked, even louder.

Marie grunted and pulled the covers further over her head.

"Marie-"

"This is ridiculous."

Raven encased the sheets in energy and ripped them away, then used her powers to pick Marie up and hold her in a standing position in front of them.

"Marie," she snapped, "get up."

Marie let her head fall forward, allowing the band of energy around her torso to hold her up.

Raven let the energy band fall.

"OWWWWWWW!" Marie cried, now fully awake, and in pain from her collision with the ground, "Daddy!" She ran over and threw her arms around his legs, "Mommy HURT me!"

"And she's sorry about that! Right, Rae?"

Raven folded her arms.

"Not really."

Beast Boy scowled at her before removing Marie's arms from around him and putting her back on the bed.

"We wanted to talk to you about something," Beast Boy started, leading in slowly, "you were talking in your sleep, and I heard-"

"Who exactly is _Mark_?" Raven demanded.

"Rae! You can't just-"

"I don't know."

"...what?" Beast Boy was shocked, "but I heard you! You said-"

" _Beast Boy_..." Raven growled, black tentacles wrapping around Beast Boy's limbs, holding them into place as he struggled, "do you _enjoy_ making me angry?! Is this _funny_ to you?!" The binds grew tighter. Had he seriously come all the way to her room to terrify her with the concept of ADDITIONAL offspring, for NO REASON?!

"Wait! Rae! She really did say it!"

The bonds were REALLY starting to hurt.

"RAVEN!"

"STOP FIGHTING!"

The impact of Marie's power blew Raven and Beast Boy into opposite walls, creating two matching clouds of dust.

"Dudeee," Beast Boy groaned.

"I'm not apposed to know," Marie said, almost guiltily.

"Know what?" Beast Boy picked himself up, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm not apposed to know about Mark."

"Why? Do we hide him in a closet or something?" Raven deadpanned, shaking the dust off of her cloak.

Marie looked down at her feet, in a rare show of insecurity.

"I'm not apposed to lis'n when you're fighting."

Beast Boy sat down next to Marie on the bed.

"Do we...fight a lot?" He asked, knowing the answer, but hoping she would deny it all the same.

She nodded.

"That's not surprising," Raven stated.

"She means REAL fighting," Beast Boy turned to Raven, "like, HUGE arguments."

"I wasn't _really_ going to kill you."

"Not those kinds of arguments," Beast Boy interrupted.

She didn't know what it was like. Hiding in your bedroom because your parents were screaming at each other. It wasn't violent - not physically, anyway - the things he used to hear. It was just Rita and Steve, shouting until their voices grew hoarse, rarely coming to an agreement. It wasn't just the loud noises though. It was the _tone_ that really got him. Every shouted sentence was a question. Do you even care about me? And, do I matter? And, can we get through this? And, is this goodbye? There is nothing scarier for a child than the fear of uncertainty. That, tonight, tomorrow, next week - their parents will part, and they will be unwanted, with no one to love them, and nowhere to go. Raven had never experienced these things. Raven didn't have those expectations. She had never expected to be wanted in the first place.

"It's...like the kind you have when things are bad," he met Raven's eyes, "the kind you have when you're breaking up."

Raven's face remained impassive.

"Like," he searched for a more relatable example, "if the team was arguing and it was getting so bad we decided to break up the team. For good."

"Oh."

Beast Boy was correct - Raven _didn't_ have any experience with the kind of situation he was so intimately acquainted with. But she _did_ recall how much it shook her when Starfire came back, after what seemed like only a moment, and told them that, had she returned after her visit to the future, the team would have ceased to be. Raven's mind had started spiraling. Where would she go? She had no one - just her friends, who, at that point, she hadn't yet considered family - and the monks of Azarath, whom she had purposely abandoned. So, she had done the only thing she coud think of, and picked up the friendship-necklace-things Starfire had gotten them for that Tamaranean holiday they had refused to celebrate, and tried to believe that observing the rituals from some planet she had never even been to would actually do something to hold them all together.

Raven moved towards the bed, and sat on Marie's other side.

"Is that why you kept forcing us to sleep with you? So we would all stay together?" She asked.

Marie nodded.

"I don't like it when you fight."

"Neither do we," Beast Boy agreed, "so, I know you're not supposed to, but can you tell us what we've been fighting _about_?"

Marie looked at him in confusion.

"YOU were the ones arguing," her usual belligerance leaked back into her speech.

"Yeah, I know," he covered, "but, uh, my memory's kinda fuzzy."

"Ok..." she said skeptically, "you keep fighting about Mark."

Beast boy and Raven shot each other a look. Maybe Beast Boy hadn't heard wrong after all.

"You said you didn't know Mark," Raven reminded her.

"I don't," Marie asserted, "but Mommy keeps saying we need to leave because of him."

"So...you don't know who he is?" Beast Boy asked.

"I know who he is," Marie said.

Beast Boy pointed at Marie in accusation.

"But you just said-"

"I didn't meet him yet."

"So who is he?" Raven asked.

"He's my little brother. But," she reiterated, "I'm not apposed to _know_ about him."

"Are you sure he's not a dog, or something?" Raven searched for another possible explanation, "do you even know what the word 'brother' means?"

"Mommy said 'Marie won't be alone, she'll have Mark' and then Daddy said 'a little brother isn't the same'," Marie recited the little auditory memory she had tucked away, "I asked Aunt Starfire, and she said it's like me and Ryan, 'cause we have the same family. So a little brother is like a little Ryan."

Beast Boy gulped. Marie's words were pretty incriminating. He glanced sideways at Raven. She didn't seem to have blown anything up yet, so they had that going for them.

"He probably isn't born yet, then," Raven surmized.

"Mommy - what's born?"

Beast Boy shot in before Raven could respond.

"Like when the stork comes and drops off a new baby!" Beast Boy grinned.

"That's not how it works."

"Ra- _ven_ ," Beast Boy glared at her through his smile, gesturing towards the _four-year-old_ Marie, "yes it _is_!"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

"A green stork or a normal stork?" Marie asked.

"A green stork probably had something to do with it."

Beast Boy scowled at Raven.

"Anyway," he changed the subject, "you heard us say we had to leave? Because of Mark?"

"Yeah."

"Did we give any helpful details about _why_?" Raven asked.

Marie looked up towards the ceiling, trying her best to remember.

"Mommy said Uncle Robin was gonna get mad," she finally said, "and he was gonna make you get rid of Mark."

" _Robin_..." Raven growled under her breath.

Leave it to their control-freak of a leader to tell them whether or not they were allowed to have a second kid. Then again, wouldn't Robin have been aware of them having a second child? Whatever reason compelled them to use his genetics for Marie would still be valid for their hypothetical other children, right? Of course, knowing what that reason actually _was_ would have been nice.

Beast Boy looked at Raven with a confused expression of his own.

"I still don't get why we were fighting," Beast Boy scratched his head, "doesn't that sound like something we'd argue about with Robin?"

"I agree. And what would be the point of arguing about it?" Raven got up from the bed, pacing, "at some point, we'd have to tell him."

"But," Beast Boy asked, having the same thought process as Raven, "wouldn't he _know_?"

"You didn't tell," Marie interjected, "Mommy always says Daddy has to be quiet 'cause somebody can hear."

"Always?" Beast Boy questioned, "so...I guess we have this argument a lot, huh?"

"Yeah," Marie fidgeted, uncomfortable under her parents' gazes, "a lot."

"But we were loud enough for YOU to hear?" Raven pointed out the flaw in her story.

Marie looked away as she confessed, "I can't sleep when you're mad. I wanna go to your room and say stop, but it's too scary..."

"So you stay outside our room and listen to us?" Raven scowled.

Raven was less than thrilled to know that Marie had picked up yet another one of Beast Boy's unsavory traits. She only knew of one confirmed time that Beast Boy snuck into her room, when he went to spy on her and Malchior, but she wouldn't have put it past him to have snuck in on other occasions. The snoop. Still, Raven had to accept some of the blame for the situation. She and Beast Boy's rooms _were_ on the same side of the tower, so if Marie had taken over Beast Boy's room, she would definitely have been able to sense the strong negative emotions coming from Raven's. Raven struggled to block out the emotions from the other side of the tower - she couldn't imagine having to feel the anger from two people one room over.

"I can't sleep," Marie said, by way of explanation.

Raven looked at her skeptically.

"And it's always the same fight? Over and over again?" Beast Boy asked again.

It was all so horribly similar to his own memories. Those fights, always about Beast Boy. Beast Boy, the weakest member of the team. Beast Boy, not pulling his weight. Beast Boy, getting in the way again. Beast Boy, ruining their marriage. It seemed like Mark was going to do the same.

"Mommy always says we have to go away, and Daddy always says we have to stay," Marie started crying, "and I don't wanna go away and I don't want Mommy to go away!"

She burst into tears, clinging to the fabric of Beast Boy's uniform.

"We're not going away!" He assured her, "look!" He gestured to himself and Marie, "we're right here!"

"But Mommy's gonna leave me!" Marie sobbed, burying her face further into his chest.

Beast Boy put an arm around her. Raven stood where she was and watched them.

 _"_ Ra- _ae,"_ he emphazised, "now would be a great time to SAY some- _thing_!"

But what was there to say? The more Marie spoke, the less attached Raven became. Yes, she could sympathize with Marie's empath-related problems, but beyond that? What Marie was describing was an impossibility. Raven knew that her finding the titans was a complete improbability. The odds were effectively zero. It was, for lack of a better word, a _miracle_. And Raven cherished it. She loved her teammates with every fiber of her being, though she never indicated anything even close to that intensity when it came to the way she interacted with her team. Not counting risking her life for them in battle, of course. They were the only people that had ever accepted her. If nothing else, she felt a responsibility towards them because, simply put, she _owed_ them. They didn't need to put up with her insults, or pretend they weren't scared of her demonic heritage, or endure the constant destruction her powers caused their living quarters. They did it because they loved her. Or so they claimed. Because they were a family. A family sewn together from different paths, different planets, different dimensions, different backgrounds - like patchwork. And Azar help the person who tried to rip Raven from them. Yet there sat Marie, claiming that Raven herself had not only suggested, but PLEADED with Beast Boy to let her leave.

"LIAR!" Raven's eyes grew red.

Beast Boy watched in horror as black tendrils wove their way out of Raven's cloak, headed straight for the weeping Marie. He wrapped his arms around the little girl, molding his body around her like a shield.

"RAVEN!" He cried, over the swirling relics of Terra's time in the room, "STOP! You're going to HURT HER!"

"She's a LIAR!" Raven hissed.

"No I'm NOT!" Marie yelled back, eyes glowing a similar shade of red, "I HEARD you! You said you were gonna LEAVE US!"

A rush of energy sprang forth from Marie's little body, and formed a wall between her and Raven. Though the older girl fought against it, Marie's fear, and anger, and sadness, outmatched her mother's, and so, Raven was gradually pushed towards the wall, and held there until her fit of rage subsided. When it finally did, Marie released her hold, and Raven collapsed to the ground.

"Raven!" Beast Boy let go of Marie and rushed to her side, using his hand to support her back as she sat up, "are you ok?"

"Ugh..." Raven held her head, recovering from the hit her psyche had taken from the outburst.

Beast Boy offered his hand, and she let him help her up and lead her back to the bed.

"You'd better sit down," he advised, and Raven did not protest.

"You're...pretty strong," Raven noted, looking at Marie.

"Daddy says I'm a buwdozor," Marie sniffled.

"Right."

Raven stopped holding her head, and immediately felt Beast Boy's eyes on her.

"What?" She shot him a look with her brow raised.

Beast Boy leaned his head in the direction of Marie, who, despite the forcefulness of her counterattack, was still looking very fragile.

"Oh," she turned back to Marie, "I'm sorry I called you a liar. I was...having trouble controlling my emotions."

Raven felt that her explanation was more than sufficient, but Beast Boy's eyes continued to bore into the back of her head from where he stood. Raven sighed.

"So, Beast Boy says you're a bulldozer, huh?"

"Yeah," she nodded, tears starting to fall again.

"I hear bulldozers are pretty strong."

Marie stared at her knees, wet droplets staining her pajama pants.

"So, if I _did_ try and leave," Marie shot up to look at Raven, tears falling more heavily than before at the supposition, "I guess you'd be strong enough to stop me."

Marie regarded Raven as she considered her words.

Beast Boy's eyes darted between Raven and Marie, unsure as to whether this was going to end in a bout of tears or a temper tantrum because Raven had said the wrong thing.

Then, to Beast Boy's relief, Marie nodded.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about then."

Raven offered a small smile, which may well have been as infrequent in the future as it was now, and Marie took it as an invitation to clamber onto her lap and cuddle into her chest.

"I love you Mommy," Marie said softly, closing her eyes.

Raven could practically _hear_ Beast Boy's thoughts, commanding her to put her arms around Marie and hug her back. She rolled her eyes at him before doing so. He didn't need to know that she would have done it anyway. She certainly didn't let him hear her whisper, "I love you too." And though wasn't true right now, she had a feeling that future Raven would appreciate her saying it.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

The beauty of Ms. Wilson's malware, was that it was virtually undetectible. Her father had been more than kind when he had left her his files. Particularly the ones about the titans' biological makeup. In Cyborg's case, this included his mechanical blueprints. She had to admire the old man - he had been positively meticulous in his planning. Even that first, and only, time she had managed to pin him to the gound in one of their sparing sessions, ending the match in her favor, she still felt he was always ten steps ahead of her. That unnerving smile on his face, enjoying some inside joke that she could never get close enough to learn. He looked down on the world from a high, untouchable summit at the peasants below, pathetic, if not endearing, in their simpleness.

There was a special kind of rage Ms. Wilson felt, whenever she remembered that, despite the time he had invested in her, the things she had accomplished under his tutelage, their blood link - he still felt that she was as inferior as the rest of them. Perhaps that was why she had come back to his old stomping grounds, to finish what he wouldn't. Certainly, he had framed his excuse as being a man of his word, unable to break his promise to that boy, but Rose knew better. Slade was not a man to whom the words 'could not' applied. He certainly proved his capability in creating nanobots that could infiltrate Cyborg's body without his mechanical parts finding foreign circuitry in his system. Tonight, Ms. Wilson would do the same.

The camera she had planted in Cyborg's mechanical eye had served its purpose. Her bots were well equipped to break into the tower, and easily capable of reprogramming its many security cameras to play loops of empty rooms in the evenings. They had the necessary information to hack into the titans' computer and access the medical data on the children, and the exact location of the evidence room, albeit without the passcode. All thanks to Cyborg. And yet, Ms. Wilson smiled as she watched the last of her bots retreat into the basement, his role was far from over. She watched the visual feed of Cyborg's ceiling as he slept, the tiny chip within his eye holding so much more than just a view into the tower. But there was no need to trigger it yet. This phase had already been executed successfully. There was no need to wake the titans from their pleasant slumber. Yes, Ms. Wilson smiled as she watched the monitors, let the titans enjoy the smell of roses. For soon enough, they all would feel the thorns.


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 38

"Oh, little one," Galfore smiled, "you bring joy to an old knorfka's eyes."

Ryan continued his examination of the palace's main hall, curiously poking at different pieces of unfamiliar furniture and weapons while Robin chased after him, trying to limit the damage.

Starfire tried not to laugh as Robin struggled to pick up a decorative battle axe that Ryan had easily dismounted from the wall.

Galfore clapped him on the back.

"Fear not, young human," Galfore's voice boomed throughout the room, "there is nothing here that Prince Ryand'r cannot touch. The palace is his home, just as it is Princess Koriand'r's."

Robin watched Ryan over his shoulder, as he pulled down another unidentifiable weapon from the wall, the blade narrowly missing his head as it fell.

"Right..."

"How sweet," a cool voice echoed from the far end of the hall, "a little family reunion. Tell me, little sister," Blackfire emerged from the shadows, "why wasn't _I_ invited?"

"Blackfire?" Starfire flew towards the girl warily, subconsciously putting herself between the black-haired girl and Ryan.

"Starfire," Blackfire put a hand on her hip, "it's been _too_ long."

"Indeed."

"I see you've been busy," Blackfire gestured with her free hand, "I wouldn't have guessed that you and Beast Boy..." She trailed off.

" _Robin_ is his father," Starfire stated.

"Whatever you say," Blackfire shrugged, smirking, "he's just feeling a little... _green_ , then?"

"You will NOT insult him," Starfire's hands glowed brightly.

"Or _what_?" She taunted, "you'll fight me? Remember, little sister," Blackfire leaned in, "I always _was_ the better warrior."

"A TRUE warrior does NOT betray her people!" Starfire growled.

"Children!" A voice, far more commanding than Galfore's, demanded their attention, "cease AT ONCE."

Both sisters lowered their arms and faced the looming man, his fierce face framed by flowing red hair and a full beard, eyes the same green as his younger daughter's.

"Yes, father," they responded in unison.

"Now, where is my grandson?" He demanded, rather than asked.

"I believe he is here," a softer voice coaxed the boy from behind Robin's cloak, belonging to a woman who looked very much like Starfire, "hello little one," she smiled.

Ryan looked up at Robin, who nodded, and then stepped towards the woman gingerly.

She kneeled to his level, and examined him, while Ryan regarded her with a mixture of confusion and curiousity.

"What a strong boy he is," she smiled.

"Indeed," Starfire's father agreed, placing a broad hand on her petite shoulder, "he has the makings of a great warrior," he smiled proudly.

Starfire's mother rested her hand on Ryan's face, and caressed his cheek with her thumb.

"And a kind one," she smiled, looking past Ryan to where Starfire stood, looking on, "much like his mother. You have brought us much pride, Koriand'r."

Starfire looked down, ashamed, then forced herself to meet her father's eyes.

"I have always wanted nothing more than to help the people of Tamaran," she told them, "but I fear that I have failed you," she took a breath before continuing, "I chose to live apart from Tamaran, on a planet called Earth, and when given the chance to rule," she glanced at Blackfire, who was scowling, "I relinquished my role to Galfore, and left him to rule in my absence."

"You did what was best for both you _and_ Tamaran," her mother interpreted, "is Galfore not a capable leader, with a love of Tamaran that is rival to your own? Are you not happier on Earth?"

"I am," she responded, "but I should have put Tamaran before all else. And for that," Starfire bowed her head, "I am truly sorry."

Starfire's father walked towards her, his sturdy footsteps resounding, and tilted her chin up to look at his much higher, larger face.

"Daughter," he addressed her, "you never failed to return when Tamaran was in need of you. When Komand'r," he shot a glare at Blackfire, who hmphed, "took control and forced you to marry to save Tamaran from war, did you not come immediately? Did you betray Tamaran? Did you leave Tamaran in the hands of someone that you did not trust to do what was correct?" He released her chin.

Starfire stood awkwardly and did not respond.

"Koriand'r," Starfire's mother said, as she led Ryan towards Starfire, "you have always been more precious to us than the diamonds of the Centauri moons. You have done nothing but bring honor to yourself, to Tamaran, and to your family."

"You make us proud, Koriand'r", Starfire's father smiled, resting a hand on Ryan's shoulder, "so very proud."

"I am lucky to have you as a sister," Starfire gasped as Ryand'r emerged from the shadows behind Blackfire, green eyes smiling mischeviously, "after all," he nudged Blackfire in the ribs playfully, "it is not every day one's nephew is named for them."

Blackfire glared at him.

"I liked it better before you came back," she spat, "it was easier to control you when you were small."

"Do not be jealous, sister," Ryand'r chastized, "perhaps Koriand'r will name her NEXT child after you!"

Blackfire growled at him, while Starfire laughed behind her hand.

"Come on Ryan," Robin stepped in, taking Ryan's hand, "let's go," he started for the door, then turned back to his girlfriend, "Starfire?"

Starfire looked between her parents and Robin.

"Must we go so soon?"

"Starfire?" He called again, "Starfire?"

"My parents have JUST arrived, and I wish to introduce you to Ryand'r, and-"

"Starfire?"

The titan opened her eyes to see the bay beyond her window, pink carpet lining the top of her vision.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

She sat up, frowning at the early hour. Had she only had a few more moments...

"Starfire?" Robin's voice called through the metal.

She stepped off of her bed and opened the door with a SWISH.

"Morning Star," Robin smiled, normally perfect hair ruffled from the night before, "I thought we'd do something a _little_ different this morning," he grinned as Ryan popped out from behind his legs, "I know we usually make this our 'just-us' time, but I thought, since Ryan was up anyway, we might make it 'just-family' time?"

"Glorious!" Starfire clapped her hands and ushered them in, "tell me, how was your over of sleep my bumgorf?"

Ryan immediately started giving her the play-by-play of the evening, with slight corrections and defenses from Robin, beaming at the masked titan all the while.

Starfire smiled, listening intently, gasping and ooing and ahhing at exactly the right moments. She snuck a peek at Robin, letting her attention drift from Ryan for just a second, and Robin caught her eye and smiled back, taking her hand and giving it a quick squeeze before they both turned back to Ryan, matching grins on their faces.

Was this what it had been like, for her parents? Had they sat, hand in hand, as Starfire and Blackfire told them about the adventures they had had? Had they tickled her tummy, the way Robin was tickling Ryan's now, for 'incorrectly recalling' the details of a competition Robin claimed HE won last night? Had they watched Starfire play, the way she watched Ryan, and wonder if they were doing an acceptable job? Did it hurt them when they witnessed the scars she bore from Blackfire's 'games'? The way it had hurt her, when she saw Ryan being mistreated by Robin? Did the thought of something happening to her at Blackfire's hands scare them? The way she would have been scared, had Raven not been there to heal Ryan after he and Marie fought? Did they wonder what they could have done better? How they might have raised Blackfire to be a better person, and not merely an accomplished fighter? How they might have stepped in, and prevented Blackfire from treating Starfire the way she had, instead of allowing it to continue under the guise of it 'toughening her up'? If they were here now, and hadn't perished in the war with the Gordanians, would they have approved of her life? Of her decisions? Or would she just be a failure? The way Starfire knew Ryan often felt he was to Robin? Would Ryand'r have felt the same way towards his own father? If she was ever fortunate enough to find her brother, would he be the sweet gurgling toddler she remembered? The small child she had so loved? Whom she sang to sleep, and made up stories for, and shared the dolls Blackfire hadn't broken? Would he still reach for her, and nuzzle his face into her hair, and tell her that she was his favorite person in Tamaran? Would she even recognize him, now? Would ANYTHING be the way she imagined it would, if somehow time reversed and reworked itself, and the royal family of Tamaran was together once more?

For all the dreams and nightmares and wonderings that so often graced the private corners of her mind, Starfire could not know the answers. She didn't know if her life would be better, or even worse, with her birth family around. She couldn't even begin to guess. But what Starfire DID know, was that she was holding the hand of the boy she'd been in love with almost since the first day they met, listening to their son, who her future self had raised to be happy, healthy, and to have the most important qualities of all: kindness, compassion, and love for his fellow creatures. Starfire could not know what her parents thought, or if they loved her, or if they were proud. But she knew that, despite them, she could - she WOULD - do that for Ryan. Because, just like her parents, she, too, had a family. One that she loved with every molecule of her being. And unlike them, she would continue to make sure that they knew it.

"I am glad you had such fun together!" Starfire exclaimed, as Ryan finished his story, "it brings me much joy to hear that you have been successful in your pursuit of the bonding!"

"Yeah, we definitely were," Robin smiled, then leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips, "I love you, Star."

Starfire wrapped her arms around his middle.

"Ewww!" Ryan grimaced at the open displays of affection.

"Have no fear, Ryan," Starfire assured him, "I possess enough of the hugs for the both of you!"

She unwrapped an arm from Robin's waist and pulled Ryan towards her, cuddling him against her and Robin.

"Stop!" He struggled, "stop it!"

Robin laughed as she let him go.

"I am proud to know how positive your behaviour was during your over of sleep," she informed him, "and I love you very much."

It nearly brought tears to Starfire's eyes when he simply said, "I KNOW."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Raven sighed contentedly. It was the first good night's sleep she'd had in _days_ , and her body could feel it. No cramped muscles, no green fur on her clothes from Beast Boy's night-shifting, no smacking into the wall as she stretch-SMACK!

Raven's eyes shot open, and she bolted up in bed. She was under sheets that _felt_ like her own, and was in a bed as _large_ as her own, but if she believed what her eyes were telling her, the room she was in was decidedly _not_.

"Hmmphhmm..." Raven jumped at the movement beside her, "...gimme back..." Marie pulled half of Raven's covers off of her.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief. At least she hadn't been stuck next to Beast Bo-

"Meowww!" A green cat popped up on the other side of Marie's pillow, arching its back before morphing back.

Great. Just _one_ time, she'd have liked to opened her eyes and NOT see Beast Boy within three feet of her.

"Morning Rae!" He grinned, far to cheery for so early an hour. Early for him, anyway.

"You're up before twelve," Raven said, checking her communicator, "I must be dreaming."

"Nope!" He crossed his legs, "just got a good night's sleep!"

Raven was not one to monitor her friends' sleeping habits, but she and the other titans were all fairly confident that Beast Boy's inability to drag himself from bed was due to a nightly combination of video games and TV-watching, which lasted well into the wee hours of the morning. For some reason though, seeing him voluntarily awake, despite having gone to sleep at a reasonable hour, was still jarring.

"No offense," he said, "but you're kind of a crummy sleepover buddy. I needed a break."

"But somehow you _still_ managed to wake up in my bed."

"Uh..." Beast Boy flushed.

" _Terra's_ bed," Raven corrected. Which, she realized, might not have made it any better. Maybe she should have been more helpful in actually decorating the geomancer's room instead of just picking out the bedding. No wonder it felt so comfortable. Terra really should have been more grateful.

"Shhh..." Marie mumbled, "...sleeping..."

Raven pushed off the scrap of fabric Marie had left her, and swung her legs off of the bed. She didn't remember deciding to spend the night.

"Beast Boy?" She asked, turning around, "why am I still _here_?"

"Marie passed out on you," Beast Boy told her, "and then you kind of fell asleep on top of her."

Her outburst must have drained her more than she thought.

"I put her in bed and was gonna wake you up, but you rolled over, so I just left ya."

"And _you_ joined us because...?"

"You're a blanket-stealer," he informed her, rubbing his ears, "I got sensitive hearing - I didn't wanna have to keep listening to Marie telling you to give them back."

"You spent your entire night playing tug-of-war?"

"Nah," Beast Boy bragged, flicking some imaginary dirt off his shoulder, "I won pretty quickly. It's pretty hard to get blankets out from under an elephant."

"Impressive," she deadpanned.

Beast Boy scowled at the lack of actual impressment.

"So," Raven said, standing up and readjusting her cloak, "are you going to keep stalking me, or can I have a few minutes alone before breakfast?"

"Dude!" Beast Boy protested, "YOU were the one who crashed in MY room!"

"Only because YOU came into MY room and dragged me here."

"Well," Beast Boy huffed, "YOU were the one who-"

"TITANS!" A frantic voice shouted through their communicators, "EVIDENCE ROOM! NOW!"

Raven and Beast Boy shot each other a concered look before flying out the doors.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Cyborg was TIRED. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like he wasn't at 100% power today. It was like something that should have been off while he was recharging was still sucking the battery. Still, the reading on his arm panel said he was close enough to it. He did want to check it, and would have, were it not for Robin's urgent message. So instead, here he was, arriving last at the evidence room door.

"Robin?" He asked, looking into the room over Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire's heads, "what is it?"

"Dude..." Beast Boy's mouth hung agape.

"Someone broke IN," Robin seethed, his earlier calm shattered by what was meant to be a quick file grab in the evidence room to share yesterday's insights with the team.

"But _how_?" Raven asked.

"I do not understand," Starfire turned to Cyborg, "how could such a thing have happened?"

"Cyborg," Robin demanded, "did you lock down the tower last night?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "I locked down the whole thing, just like every night."

"Well," Robin spat, "you did _something_ wrong!"

"Arguing isn't going to solve anything," Raven stepped between the boys, diffusing the situation before it had a chance to boil over.

"Friend Raven is correct," Starfire agreed, "perhaps we should do the checking of the cameras?"

"I already did," Robin stated, "there was NOTHING."

Cyborg typed into his arm panel, checking the security stats for the tower.

"Everything looks good here too," he informed them, "looks like the security system's still up. Tower's still in lockdown," he lowered his arm.

"Then how'd they get IN?" Beast Boy asked the obvious.

"I don't know," Robin frowned, "but whoever we're dealing with, we can't underestimate them. They already broke into the tower. We don't know what else they're capable of. But we do know one thing," Robin continued.

"What?" Beast Boy spoke for the rest of the group.

"I was going to tell you yesterday," Robin said, "but I think Slade has a new apprentice."

The titans gasped collectively.

"And, if this has anything to do with it," Robin turned and gestured to the wall in front of him, on which was scrawled a giant, single word in red spray paint, "their name is Ravager."


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 39

It wasn't that they didn't _want_ to help. Well, Starfire and Raven, at least. Beast Boy was another story. But the facts of the matter were that Cyborg was the most tech-savvy, not to mention that he possessed the ability to download any and all information into his semi-electronic brain, which made him a prime candidate for in-depth research on the web, and Robin had detailed notes on every case covered both by the titans and the police, had memorized said notes and poured over them a hundred times each, and was thus on all counts the most knowledgeable on all evidence even mildly pertinent to the situation at hand. Simply put, whatever minor help Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy might have been, their contribution would be negligible. Thus, as Robin scoured the evidence room and Cyborg hacked away at the computer in his room, the other titans sat in the common room with Ryan and Marie, feeling useless.

On such days, Raven usually took the time to meditate, while Starfire turned to Silkie for comfort, and Beast Boy sad sadly on the couch, playing solo games of Mega Monkeys, casting glances at the unused second controller beside him. Though each attempted to find their own way of dealing with the air of unease, and their own perceived internal failings, the three almost always ended up sitting around the common room together in silence, listening to Raven take the occasional sip of tea. With the addition of Marie and Ryan, however, their usual routine had hit a roadblock. It would be hard to wallow in self-pity while two little hurricanes were attacking the tower. At least, today, they would be able to pretend that they were helping, keeping the children far, FAR away from Robin and Cyborg.

"So, are we playing Cart Race or-"

"Wicked Scary!" Marie cried.

"Uh..." Beast Boy looked to Raven for confirmation that that was NOT happening, and she shook her head in response, "no. Raven doesn't want us to have to sleep in your room again," he blamed the empath.

Raven scowled from her seat on the couch.

"But _Ryan_ got to have a sleepover with _his_ dad!" Marie whined.

"That was _one_ _time_ ," Raven informed her, "we've had at least _three_ sleepovers with YOU."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, "maybe even more! I kind of lost track after the first one," he admitted, grinning sheepishly.

"But I wanna-"

"NO," Raven stopped her, "pick something else."

"NO!" Marie screamed, stomping her feet, "I WANNA PLAY WICKED SCARY!"

The TV was a dangerous black, and the game system started hovering off of the ground.

"Dude!" Beast Boy cried, "we JUST replaced that!"

"STOP IT," Raven demanded.

It had the opposite effect. Soon, the game system's plugs had ripped from the TV, and the games Beast Boy had been holding started flying around the little girl.

"Perhaps we should do something that does not involve the gaming?" Starfire suggested, trying to calm her, "perhaps we could prepare the glorg again? Or the cake of birthdays?"

"...cake?" Marie asked, her attention piqued, "with frosting?"

"And sprinkles?" Ryan added.

"I wanna decorate!" Marie demanded, her anger lessening with the distraction, as well as her control over the objects around her.

Beast Boy winced as the game system crashed back down to the ground.

"Yes, my bumgorfs," Starfire clapped, "I shall retrieve the ingredients!"

Raven watched as the trio made their way to the kitchen, not particularly concerned with what terrifying concoction Starfire would create under the guise of the normally delicious snack. She assumed it would probably end up having teeth, or at least trying to run off the plate. Hopefully _that_ would stop Marie from eating it. Raven was tired of changing cloaks so often. She didn't really want another one getting puked on.

"My poor baby," Beast Boy moaned, distress evident on his face, "I never got to use your special features..."

Raven stood over the crying titan, and the smoking mess before him.

"Tragic," she deadpanned.

Beast Boy glared at her.

"You can get another one later," she ignored his look, "right now we need to talk."

"Raaaaa- _vennnn_ ," he groaned, "didn't we spend like the WHOLE NIGHT talking?!" He turned back to the game system, "my baby NEEDS me," he wrapped his arms around the hunk of plastic and wire, and promptly got shocked, "ow..."

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, _fine_ ," he stood up, smoothing down his static-y hair, "what do you wanna talk about?"

"What do you _think_ I want to talk about?" She asked, sarcastic.

"Why you thought getting Wicked Scary was a good idea in the first place, how you can ACTUALLY stop Marie next time, if I can watch Ryan and Marie while you meditate..." he listed off the top of his head, counting each one on his fingers.

Raven smacked him upside the head.

"Ow! Dude!" He cried, "don't DO that!"

"Don't give ridiculous answers."

Beast Boy muttered under his breath.

"We need to talk about Mark."

"He doesn't even exist yet," Beast Boy reminded her, "so we're good!"

"No, we're NOT," Raven argued, "there's a possible future where we have a kid that might break up the titans. I want to know _why_."

"How should _I_ know?" Beast Boy asked, waving his arms in annoyance, "Who knows if Mar-"

A black band shot around his mouth, and he struggled to remove it.

"Lower your _voice_ ," Raven hissed. Then, after glancing at Starfire to make sure she was still distracted, continued, "you're the one who said Marie wasn't a mistake, and that we were," her face reddened despite her serious expression, " _happily_ married. If Marie says the reason our future selves are arguing is because of Mark, and Robin can't know, we need to figure out WHY."

"Aww," Beast Boy swung an arm around Raven's shoulders, intentionally missing the point, "so you DO want to be the next Mrs. Logan?"

"Move it before I break it."

Beast Boy gulped, and removed his arm.

"There was a REASON that our future selves asked Robin to help us with Marie," Raven continued, "and I have a feeling it was a very good one."

"Why?" Beast Boy frowned, fang jutting out from his lower jaw.

"Aside from the fact that he agreed?" Raven asked rhetorically, "if Robin doesn't know about Mark, it probably means that he's genetically related to _both_ of us," Raven tried to word it in as sanitized a manner as possible, but still managed to make herself grimace at the implication.

"...I'm guessing that's bad?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven nodded.

"What I don't understand is _why_."

"Maybe he didn't want ANY of us having more kids," Beast Boy guessed, "'cause it's to dangerous?"

"By that logic, there shouldn't be any kids allowed in the tower."

"Maybe he went all evil, and he's gonna take over the city and steal all the kids, so we have to take Marie and Mark and Ryan and escape, and-"

"NO," Raven stopped him.

"Well," Beast Boy put his hands on his hips, "why don't YOU suggest something?"

Raven thought for a moment before sharing her opinion.

"I think it has something to do with the reason we all thought it would be a good idea for the two of us to _not_ have biological children."

"Well, _I_ still think it's because of the green gene," Beast Boy reasserted his earlier guess, "maybe Robin didn't want another dude in the tower that could change into stuff and break everything," he looked sadly at the game system. Though technically not Ryan's fault, there were plenty of other damages that were.

Raven ignored him, continuing with her train of thought.

"If I wanted to leave the titans," she conjectured aloud, "then there would have to be something bad happening. Something bad that I could cause, just by being near everyone."

"Maybe having Marie made your powers go all crazy?" Beast Boy suggested, "and you didn't want to attack us again?"

It was definitely plausible. But still, something about it didn't seem quite dire enough to make her want to resort to such drastic measures. She had literally told her friends that she was the harbinger of the end of the world, and they had made her a safe room and tried to force her to stay rather than see her go. Not to mention the fact that they had had ample opportunity to kick her out for a variety of other power-related issues over the years. No, a simple loss of control wasn't nearly serious enough.

"I don't think so," she shook her head.

"I mean, whatever it is, we don't agree on it, right?" Beast Boy tapped his chin, "didn't Marie say that future me wanted to stay and tell Robin?"

"What is it that you need to tell boyfriend Robin, friend Beast Boy?"

"AHHHH!" Beast Boy jumped at the unexpected presence floating above him, "uh, NOTHING!" He tried to cover.

Starfire's brows furrowed, and she opened her mouth to respond.

"Aunt Starfire?" Marie tugged on her boot, "when is it gonna be _done_?"

"I'm hungry!" Added Ryan, banging his little fists on the kitchen counter.

"In fifteen of the minutes!" She replied brightly, but not _quite_ as brightly as the glowing goo she was stirring, "all we must do is the heating of the batter in the oven of cooking!"

Beast Boy and Raven cringed at the memory of her last attempt at cupcakes, which had resulted in an overflow of 'batter' onto the floor, and had taken a full week of scrubbing to clean. Hopefully this would be less extreme.

"Friend Raven?" Starfire addressed her, with a tone of seriousness underlying her usual cheer, "might you want to help us?"

Beast Boy looked puzzled by the request. Raven may well have been a worse chef than Starfire. At least, when Starfire cooked the unappetizing meals native to her planet, they tasted the way they were supposed to. Raven couldn't even make pancakes.

"That's ok," Raven waved her off, "I think you've got it under control."

" _Please_ ," Starfire asked again, this time with an edge of command, "I would GREATLY appreciate your help."

Raven looked at her curiously, but flew over the couch and landed beside her, following her to the kitchen.

It wasn't that Raven WANTED to avoid Starfire... Well, maybe she DID, just a little. For all the confrontations and make ups, and other swirling emotions that may have surrounded Starfire and Robin, and Robin and Beast Boy, and Beast Boy and Raven, over the past forty-eight hours, the two female titans had yet to discuss the incident at the playground. Though Raven was preoccupied with the mystery and implications of 'Mark', Starfire's mind continued to dwell on the topic of the harsh statements and accusations that she had made to her self-proclaimed 'dearest friend'. Certainly, there were other, seemingly more important things to be worrying about. Slade's new apprentice, the tower's untraceable and undetected security breach - these were matters that directly affected the safety and wellbeing of the tower's inhabitants. However, one cannot discount the importance of emotional stresses on a person's mental state, and how could anyone, let alone Starfire, whose emotions were at the very core of her powers and strength, be expected to perform at their best when their heart weighed heavy?

"Raven," Starfire began, as she poured the batter into the cake pan, "I wish to apologize."

"Starfire, you don't have to-"

"Please," she held up an oven-mitted hand, "I must continue." She picked the pan up and put it in the oven, setting the timer.

"Is it ready NOW?" Marie whined.

"No," Raven responded, using her powers to pull out a bag of chips and leave it in front of the kids. If they were anything like Beast Boy, they would accept the snack.

Both children grinned and dug in at once, ignoring the older girls.

"I wish to apologize," Starfire said again, "I was wrong to do the assuming that you and Robin would do the hurting of me, and it was incorrect of me to say that you destroy things you do not mean to."

"You're right," Raven shrugged, passing off her hurt as indifference, "I _do_ destroy things I don't mean to. Just look at Marie," she gestured to the game system at the far end of the room, "she takes after me."

"NO," Starfire shook her head vehemently, "I will not allow you to do the pretending. I lacked the sensitivity, and did the injuring of your feelings, and for that, I am sorry," she bowed her head in shame.

"I mean, I understand," Raven told her, "I don't think I'd react well if it seemed like the love of my life cheated on me with my friend."

"But, we are unsure of Ryan's origins as well," Starfire reminded her, "though we have the accepted solution, we cannot prove it's correctness. Perhaps, Beast Boy and I..." She shuddered at the thought, and could not force herself to continue the sentence.

"Like I said," Raven reiterated, "I might feel differently if it was the _love of my life_."

Starfire smiled politely back.

"But friend Raven," she reminded her, "if Marie says that you and friend Beast Boy have joined in the matrimony, then he must be-"

"Stop," Raven held her hands up, "I might puke."

"I have offended you again," Starfire sighed miserably, taking off the oven mitt and tossing it aside, "I am undeserving of your friendship."

"It's ok, Starfire. Really," Raven stepped towards her, and Starfire raised her eyes to meet Raven's, "I forgive you."

"Oh, friend Raven!" Starfire threw her arms around the empath and all but squeezed the life out of her, "it brings me great joy to know that we are again the best of friends!"

"Yeah," Raven wheezed, "me too."

Starfire released her, and Raven put a hand to her chest as she tried to reinflate her lungs.

"Actually," Raven continued, once she caught her breath, "I think I have an idea about why Robin is Marie's biological father. One that _doesn't_ include him cheating on you."

"Oo!" Starfire flew closer, "please do the telling!"

"Well, last night, Beast Boy and I-"

DING!

"One of the moments!" Starfire begged, speeding over to the oven.

"YAY CAKE!" Ryan shouted, excited!

"Where's the frosting?!" Marie demanded of Raven.

"Do we even _have_ frosting?"

"I had planned on making the cream of butter!" Starfire informed her, setting a surprisingly... _normal_ looking cake on the counter.

"Whoa!" Beast Boy drifted over from the couch, "that smells AWESOME!"

"Starfire...that actually looks GOOD," Raven agreed, shocked.

"Many of the thanks!" She beamed, "now, we must commence with the frost of ice!"

Raven watched as Starfire rummaged through the fridge, looking for ingredients for the rest of the dessert. She could tell her later. Then again... _should_ she and Beast Boy be telling Starfire? Or anyone? If whatever it was they were arguing about in the future was _that_ serious, would it be something that the current titans might be equally as concerned about?

"Wait!" Beast Boy cried, pushing past Raven and literally knocking her out of her thoughts, "I wanna help!"

Raven sighed as she watched the green teen grab a seat next to Ryan, bouncing with more excitement than the four-year-olds, and, for the first time since the kids' arrival, actually felt lucky. At least SHE had the _option_ to discuss the Mark problem with the rest of her teammates. Her future self was stuck with Beast Boy.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Something wasn't adding up. There HAD to be some record of how Ravager got into the tower. Whoever the guy was, he couldn't have just waltzed into the tower without triggering an alarm, which, Cyborg had triple checked, was 100% on. The security footage? Clean. The code pads for the evidence room door? Untouched, not counting the team. Cyborg rubbed his human eye. At this point, someone ON the team seemed more likely than some outside villain. Yet, Robin and Ryan could vouch for each other, as could Beast Boy, Raven, and Marie. The only two left were himself and Starfire. And Starfire was NOT the kind of person to mess with Robin's evidence room. But it wasn't like Cyborg would do that, either.

The robotic teen groaned, resting his head in his hands. Why did someone have to be messing with them NOW? It was stressful enough with Ryan and Marie - was a new villain REALLY necessary? He stood up, pushing back from the desk, and cracked his metal joints. And why was he so exhausted? He checked his arm panel for the fifth time in the past half hour. 80%. He was draining battery at a slightly increased rate. Not crazy, but still significant enough for him to notice. He glanced at the monitor, still loaded with blank security camera footage. There really wasn't much else he could do right now, anyway. He turned back to his arm panel. Running a quick diagnostic wouldn't hurt anything.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Ms. Wilson smiled as she watched Cyborg run his little program, pulling a loose strand of hair out from under the strap of her eyepatch. She had debated whether or not to leave that little bug in there when she created the program. It would have been completely possible to eliminate the need to latch onto Cyborg's energy supply, and just provide the robotic probe with its own. Now that her bots were in position, the receptor had been triggered, and was in constant contact with them, waiting for Ms. Wilson to send the command. The drain was minimal, but, as Cyborg had found, clearly detectable, to anyone who was observant. She was so very, _very_ glad he was. Even with that adorable little diagnostic he was running, he wouldn't find the new addition to his circuitry. It pleased her to know that he would fail. That the existence of some possible threat to his bionic being, however minor, was making him weak, and he was incapable of uncovering the cause. Driving him mad, one little drop at a time, until his mind would be consumed with nothing other than the desperate need to solve a puzzle for which he could find no answer.

Ms. Wilson never engaged with anything she was not intimately acquainted with. She would have nothing to do with foreign variables. Clients, hits, plans that she had not run her fingers through a hundred times, until she could read the entirety of the curves and blemishes without opening an eye, and execute without the need to stop and think. Such was the level of precision her father had abided to, and impressed upon her, until she was bloody and bruised and bloodshot with the effort. Those nights spent scouting. Spying. Infiltrating. Memorizing blueprints, and maps, and faces. Beating the information into her brain with every blow of her father's armored hands. It had been well worth it.

Slade's schemes worked with the efficiency and ease of a clock. Each oiled gear in its appointed place, so that, the only place each hand could ever be, _would_ ever be, was in the exact location that the clockmaker had plotted, down to the very second. She wondered what he'd say, if he were beside her, at this very moment. Ms. Wilson was not so conceited as to think that, had he the slightest desire to know her whereabouts, Slade couldn't be immediately behind her, unannounced, observing from the shadows. But he was not the kind to waste his time, and, as of now, lacked interest. Possibly even confidence, in his little girl.

He'd trained her well, yes. But, much like Marie, she had rebelled, and marred herself to gain back a small semblance of his trust. Subconsciously, she touched the patch over her left eye, as if to remind herself of what she had given up, in the name of reverence. For, really, could it be called anything else? The aching desire to prove herself to someone so much _more_ than what she was? Who wanted to mold her in his image? He hadn't given her her name. He wasn't there for her birth, or childhood. But, like a rainstorm, conquering the skies, when he arrived, his presence shook her, _changed_ her, so that, from the delicate white flower that she was before, her petals darkened, leaves grew lush, and thorns extended, until she was no longer Rosie, or sweetheart, or love, but merely Rose. _His_ Rose. Draped in the color of fresh blood, with the thorns to draw it.

She had studied her father's ways. Walked in his footsteps. She knew the rules. And she abided. No, Rose would not engage in anything she could not know the outcome of. But oh, how she enjoyed watching others struggle to discern it.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Robin was struggling too. He had tasked Cyborg with determining how Ravager broke in, which he knew would be no easy feat. But his was no less challenging. How was he supposed to figure out who Ravager was without any solid leads? Aside from the tenuous connection to Slade, they knew NOTHING. Even the writing on the wall, that grotesquely scrawled name, hadn't come with its own 'R' disk. It was easy to assume they were related. But was there concrete evidence? The main thing that theory had going for it, aside from the shared letter, was that both were irritatingly obscure. Clearly, both were calling cards, and the escalation from externally planted disk to internal writing would indicate the criminal's growing cockiness, all of which fit. But, even if Robin had indisputable proof of the connection, that still left them with little. Slade had a new apprentice, possibly called Ravager, who wanted to mess with the titans. This much was clear. But what should they expect next? There was no threat, no indication of future plans the titans might be invited to ruin. Not that Slade announced his attacks beforehand. Usually. So what was Robin supposed to do? Just sit there and wait? Robin paced the room. He'd been going in circles of the same logic for hours. He needed to change tactics.

Robin sat back down at the desk, and cleared his mind before restating the facts. Ravager was Slade's apprentice. Ravager got into the tower and bypassed the security system. This meant that Ravager possessed technological skill and an in-depth knowledge of the tower's blueprints. Slade had both, the latter given to him by Terra. But how could there be a traitor amidst the titans? Technically, others had stayed over the tower during their fight with the Brotherhood of Evil, but surely their duplicity would have gotten out by now. And as for _his_ team? He could account for almost all of their time. Except during that fight the other day, when Cyborg had been knocked out. But he had been unconscious. Drained of energy. That didn't seem like the kind of thing someone inconspicuously spilling secrets would do. But what if it hadn't been his choice? What if...what if Ravager had...downloaded his mind? All the technological specifications of the tower, details on the titans lives, and - Robin's eyes widened. What if Ravager knew about Ryan and Marie?


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 40

"Duuuuude," Beast Boy cried, "you RUINED it!"

"Well," Raven scowled, defenses kicking in, "YOU were the one who forced me to participate."

"I didn't think you could mess up FROSTING!"

He gestured aggressively towards the cake, which appeared to be caving in on itself.

"Please," Starfire inserted herself between them, "though friend Raven may have broken our baked good, I am sure it will still taste most delicious!"

"I mean, I knew your cooking was gross," Beast Boy leaned over, poking his head out from behind Starfire, and completely ignoring her comment, "but who crushes a cake just by making a circle?!"

Raven glanced at her small, blue contribution. Had she been visualizing a target to smash Beast Boy's head into? Of course. But drawing one in the middle of a cake shouldn't have caused it to implode.

"It lacked structural integrity," she informed him.

"Structural _what_?"

BLEGHERGURBLECH

"Uh..." Beast Boy looked over his shoulders, "what was that?"

"I think it's hungry..." Marie pointed at the cake, which now appeared to have a bright pink, lava-like goo rising from the center, consuming the rest of the cake as it grew.

"Still think it was _my_ fault?" Raven folded her arms.

"Star!" Beast Boy cried, "what did you PUT in there?!"

"Sugar, butter, the flour of the wheat," she counted on her fingers, "zorka berries, krebglak larva..."

Ryan's stomach grumbled hungrily.

"Seriously?!" Beast Boy stared at him incredulously.

"They possess a delightful flavor!" Starfire tried to explain.

"Star, do heat and sugar by any chance make the...krab-whatever...larva _grow_?" Raven demanded.

Starfire tapped her index finger on her chin, considering the question.

"Perhaps," she conceded, "if the provided sugar had the chemical properties of glucose-"

"That's exactly what sugar is!" Raven growled.

"Oh..." Starfire blushed, "then I believe the answer is yes."

"YOU CREATED A MONSTER!" Beast Boy shook Starfire by the shoulders, making her head shake.

BLARGHELBLECH

A louder belch-like exclamation was expelled by the creature, which had started making its way off of the plate, heading for the adjacent bowl of frosting.

"AHHHHH!" Beast Boy jumped back, "I'm too young to be cake-meat!"

"Mommy!" Marie yelped as the blob inched closer, realizing that Beast Boy would be of no help in the current situation, "get it AWAY!"

"Azarath metrion ZINTHOS!" Raven blasted at the creature, but it merely absorbed the dark energy, then spat it back towards her, knocking her back onto the ground.

Seeing both parents effectively incapacitated, Marie started more seriously fearing for her life, and, apparently learning nothing from her mother's attack, proceeded to pelt the 'cake' with her own powers, resulting in the exact same outcome.

"Marie!" Starfire cried, tackling the girl to the ground, and out of harm's way, "are you the o-"

EEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEE

An inhuman shriek caught the titans off-guard, prompting Raven off the ground and Beast Boy to peek his head over the couch to which he had fled.

BUUUUUUUUURP

Ryan licked his lips, hands over his wriggling belly.

"Did he just..." Beast Boy's mouth hung open.

"Yeah," Raven affirmed, then, shaking her head, added, " _Tamaraneans_."

"See friends," Starfire flew beside her offspring, grinning embarrassedly, though widely, "the cake meant no harm! And was most delicious," she nudged Ryan, "correct?"

Ryan smiled, about to respond in kind, when his face grew greener.

"Here we go again," Raven sighed, recognizing, yet again, the familiar but detested expression.

BLECHHHHHHH

Ryan clutched his stomach in a less satisfied manner than he had before, and started sobbing.

"M-Mommy!" He wailed, traumatized by the prompt regurgitation of his meal, "Mommy!"

Starfire rushed to pick him up and console him, grimacing as the goopy remnants transferred from is body to her hair.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to take back that whole 'no harm' thing?" Beast Boy asked, "because it kinda looks like it's eating through the floor," he pointed at the pink stain at Starfire's feet, which was quickly disintegrating, along with the ground.

Raven pulled Marie towards her as she leapt back, and Starfire flew up a foot, protecting herself in the air.

"So," Raven addressed Beast Boy, still hiding safely behind the furniture in the den, "do you still want to blame me?"

"WHAT DID Y'ALL DO TO MY FLOOR?!" Cyborg cried, holding his hands on either side of his head, "I JUST redid this room!"

"I think you mean what did _Starfire_ do," Raven corrected him, looking sideways at her redheaded friend.

"I was...unaware that the sugar of Earth would cause the krebglaks to reach the state of maturity..."

"They turn into acid at maturity?!" Beast Boy repeated in disbelief, "dude! You could have KILLED us!"

"Not to mention Ryan - how is he even still alive?" Raven asked.

"Tamaraneans have nine of the stomachs, one of which is made specifically for the digestion of the acids secreted by the animals of my planet," Starfire beamed, patting Ryan on the head, "we are most resilient."

"Maybe we should redo the floors with Tamaranean stomachs then," Raven eyed the hole.

Starfire gasped, "friend Raven! How can you do the suggesting of-"

"TITANS," Robin commanded, bursting through the entry doors, "meeting, NOW." He took a determined step forward, then, noticing the newest damage to the tower, stopped mid-stride and glared at the assembled teens and said, "we'll discuss _this_ later."

Starfire cast her eyes down and colored, trailing behind her friends as they gathered around the screen in the living room.

"This," Robin informed them, pulling up a video file, "is the footage from a security camera while we were fighting Plasmus."

Beast Boy looked at the paused frame, pointing his finger at the image, "but that's not where we were fighting Plasmus."

"Exactly," Robin pressed play, and the titans watched as silver and black bots crawled over an unconscious Cyborg.

"Hey!" Cyborg yelled at the screen, "get your legs off my titanium!"

The bots appeared to listen, scampering off of the on-screen Cyborg and retreating into the shadows."

"Does the footage go back any further?" Raven asked.

Robin shook his head.

"The file was corrupted," and he was pretty sure he knew whom by.

"So we don't know WHY those creepy robots were all over him?!" Beast Boy all but shrieked, "what if they turned him into some robot zombie?! Or an evil toaster oven?! Or a secret agent working for some evil corporation that wants to poison all the vegetarians with meat?!"

"A toaster?" Raven deadpanned, "how terrifying."

"Hey!" Beast Boy protested, "we fought evil videotapes that one time! Toasters could totally turn-"

"Friend Cyborg?" Starfire flew between Beast Boy and Raven, distracting the former from his retort, "have you the sick feeling?"

"I mean, I feel fine," he frowned, "but something's been suckin' on my power supply. Just can't seem to fugure out what it is."

"Perhaps you have a battery that is in need of replacement?" Starfire offered.

"I ran some diagnostics, and everything looks good," he shrugged, "I thought one of my circuits might have been leaking power, but everything came up clean. Chalked it up to my hardware needing an update."

"How long has that been going on for?" Robin demanded.

"A couple a days," Cyborg estimated.

"I don't know about you," Robin turned back to the screen, playing the video again, "but I don't think that's a coincidence."

"Even if it isn't," Cyborg stepped towards him, actively avoiding the crevice, "I still haven't found anything. Like I said - my diagnostics were good. No viruses, no spyware, no new programs installed - nothing."

"Are you SURE?" Robin pressed.

"I can run it again," Cyborg shrugged, "but I just did it this morning - I don't think we'll find anything else."

"I was afraid of that," Robin sighed.

Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy shot each other concerned glances, while Cyborg stood calmly.

"What do you think they did to me?" Cyborg asked, bravely awaiting whatever dire hypothesis Robin had to offer. He had lived with the guy long enough to know that his theories were usually right. Unless it was Slade-related. Then it was 50-50.

Robin took a deep breath before turning back to his team, and delivered his verdict.

"I think those bots belong to Slade," he began.

Starfire furrowed her brows.

"Are you sure Slade is to blame?" She questioned warily, "perhaps-"

"Yes," Robin cut her off, "those disks we found had the same chemical composition as Slade's did, and those bots," he gestured towards the screen, "look like the same material that the Slade-bots used."

"Robin," Raven interjected, "we haven't actually _seen_ one of those things up close," she tried to reason, "it could be something completely different."

"I don't think so," Robin stood his ground, "there are too many connected variables for it to be a coincidence."

"Connections?" Starfire repeated, puzzled.

"The disks, the Slade-bot technology, the invisible break-in, that name on the wall in the evidence room - they're all things Slade has done before," he explained.

"Slade didn't write on _walls_ ," Beast Boy reminded him.

"But he DID like playing mind games," Cyborg countered.

"So...what? He rebranded?" Raven asked sarcastically.

"Whoever Ravager is," Robin answered, "he chose things that we would easily recognize from our encounters with Slade. He wanted us to KNOW that they were related."

"Related how?" Cyborg asked.

"I think Ravager is Slade's new apprentice."

Starfire gasped. Raven, however, eyed Robin skeptically.

"Why would Slade let his apprentice take all the credit for breaking into the tower?" She questioned.

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed, "and he never made any of his other apprentices introduce themselves like that."

"Probably because both of the others were our _friends_ ," Raven added, making Robin scowl.

"Then...it is likely that the Ravager is one of us?" Starfire suggested.

"I don't think so, Star," Robin dismissed her concern, "we've all been accounted for," he looked towards Ryan and Marie, who were sticking their heads out from beneath Raven's cloak, hiding from the intensity of the conversation. Raven was doing her best to ignore their distracting bumping and whispering, willing herself not to push them through the hole Starfire created. Robin, however, was unconcerned with her issues, which paled in comparison to the ones they were currently discussing.

"Except for me," Cyborg circled back to the start of the conversation, directing everyone's attention back to the security footage.

"Exactly," Robin affirmed.

"So Cyborg's a slade-bot now?" Beast Boy offered, only half-joking.

"I don't think they did any reprogramming," Robin said, "I think...they might have downloaded memory files and blueprints from the robotic part of his brain."

Cyborg's eye widened. This was BAD. In the past week alone he'd accessed sensitive medical information on all of the titans, accessed most of their biometric and password-protected security codes, and rebuilt the entire common area, updating the towers blueprints to accommodate the minor changes. Not to mention the fact that they had two very unstable, very POWERFUL children in the tower that he had done extensive research on. In short, they were in DEEP trouble if anyone gained access to ANY of his memory files.

"Um," Beast Boy looked back and forth between the two other boys, "what does that mean?"

"It means," Raven translated, "that Ravager has access to everything - the tower, us, _them_ ," she lifted her cloak, exposing the children.

"So as of right now," Robin commanded, "Ryan and Marie do NOT leave our sight. At least two of us have to be watching them at ALL times."

"But," Beast Boy considered, "what if Ravager's NOT Slade's apprentice? Maybe he won't care about Ryan and Marie?"

"If Ravager ISN'T Slade's apprentice," Robin said gravely, "then watching the kids will be the least of our problems. Because if Ravager ISN'T Slade's apprentice, then he's trying to replace him. We all know how dangerous Slade is. Someone trying to prove themselves would be..."

"Way, WAY worse," Cyborg finished for him.

Beast Boy gulped.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Rose sighed. It was...disappointing, to say the least. She had thought the titans would continue to prove themselves as being worthy of her time. She sneered at the screen. Yes, she had ensured that Cyborg's hardware addition was undetectable, but she had hoped that _Robin_ , at the very least, would come closer to the truth. She supposed that capturing a snapshot of Cyborg's mental data wasn't _terribly_ far off, but that meant that the team would continue to allow him to be a part of their plans, soaking up each drop of secret information to be offered to Rose in a drink far too rich for her liking. She had hoped that the titans would at least suspend his involvement. But now? Where was the challenge? The fun? How could her thirst for glory be satiated when victory had been all but handed to her on a silver platter? When her combatants had surrendered, prostrating themselves before her, and declaring themselves unfit for battle?

Rose clenched her fists. It was insulting, the way her father spoke of them. His fond memories of battle, the satisfaction he got from turning their own against them, how he relished having Robin under his complete control. As if any of that was difficult. Rose was a more competant combatant than all the titans combined. Her mind was brilliant, her strength more formidable, her skills were impeccable - she could destroy the titans with only the energy necessary to flick her wrist. Yet her father, a god amongst men, had debased himself for their benefit, pretending weakness just so he could engage with them again. They were mice, and he was a lion, playing housecat. He was so much _better_ than them. And so was she.

Yet, why was it _Robin_ that he spoke of so endearingly, instead of his own daughter? Why was she so much _less_ , when anyone else could see that she was superior? Robin was wrong, though. When he guessed that she was trying to replace her father. If she had truly desired to become him, she would have killed him first. A challenging task, but not an impossible one. For her. But then, what would the point of replacing him be? Rose didn't want to be Slade. She wanted to be _Ravager_. Someone who could hold their own alongside him. Someone just as brutal, just as deadly. An equal. If she killed him, she would eliminate the threat to her dominance, but would render her superiority meaningless. Murder was a vocation. She wanted a career. She wanted respect. And how could she respect herself if _he_ didn't? There inlied the dilemma, of course.

Rose leaned back in her chair. Why was it that she so craved his acceptance, when he held that pathetic excuse for a boy on a golden pedestal? It sickened her. Much like the situation on the screen before her. Even her two future proteges were hiding behind the witch's robes, like weaklings. She would rectify that. In Rose's world, there would be no one to hide behind. No one to seek comfort from. No one and _nothing_ to protect them, except their own sheer power and quick wit. Rose would not aim as low as Slade did, lusting after the human in the mask. Oh no. Rose would take control of two mutants, and train them to be the apprentices that Slade could only _dream_ of having. At that point, even though he might deny it, Rose would _know_ that she had won. Acxomplished what he had tried, and failed to do, but twofold, and with targets far more unpredictable than his.

Rose regained her composure, smoothing her white locks back and turning her attention to the screen once again. Yes, perhaps Slade was undeserving of her admiration and her yearning. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and make him see her as more than just a condolence prize, when his first and second choices were unavailable. Rose would steel herself. She would stick to her plan, however easy the titans made it for her, and would watch them struggle to protect themselves as she lay in wait. It would be hard not to pounce, but she would restrain herself to the bush, letting Robin's paranoia reach a maximum before she made her next move. Unlike her father, _she_ was going to succeed. After all, if Slade was a lion, then she was a lioness. And everyone knows that lionesses are _far_ better hunters.


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 41

PING-PING-PINGPINGPING

BOOM

OOMPH

Marie crashed into the training room floor, her chin smacking into the ground as Ryan fell, equally as hard, on top of her back.

Raven rushed over to the pair, checking them for injuries, while Marie lay, stunned, on her stomach, her body not yet registering the intensity of the impact. It only lasted for a moment.

"You...HURT ME!" She growled, eyes glowing, dark energy shoving Ryan off of her back and into the wall, where he remained, stuck behind a birdlike claw.

"Marie!" He cried, wriggling within his bonds, "I'm sorry! It was a asident!"

"MARIE!" Starfire entered the fray, hands an angry green, "release Ryan at once!"

"Let him go," Robin commanded, obviously to no avail.

"Marie," Raven tried her own approach, "you need to control your powers!"

"I AM!" She shouted, tightening her grip on the little green boy.

It hadn't been Ryan's fault, exactly. He was just following his Daddy's orders. Robin said they had to do training, in case the new criminal he kept talking about came to the tower and attacked them. He wanted them to do defensive stuff, and practice protecting themselves. So Ryan and Marie were trying to work together. Marie was working on her black bubble, and Ryan was practicing turning into animals with shells and tough skin. His favorite so far was the armadillo one Uncle Beast Boy had shown him. He was basically a basketball! But his Daddy had gotten mad when Uncle Beast Boy tried to dribble him and told them to stop it. That was probably what did it.

Ryan didn't want Robin to think that he wasn't serious enough. Ryan wanted to be the BEST. But Robin hadn't said anything mean to Marie the whole time they'd been practicing, which meant that maybe he liked her better, which meant that Ryan had to try HARDER. If he didn't, then maybe Robin would start having sleepovers with Marie instead of him, and he did NOT want that to happen.

So, when Robin said they should start working together, and try to defend each other, Ryan went berserk. He shot starbolts left and right, with pretty much NO attention to who, or what he was aiming at. He turned into a T-Rex and almost crushed Beast Boy, who had barely escaped as a falcon. He hadn't stopped when Robin said Marie should try protecting the both of them with a single black bubble...which resulted in multiple starbolts riccocheting off of the impenetrable energy shield until they exploded upon impact with Marie, causing the bubble to burst.

"Hey, Marie!" Beast Boy waved frantically in front of her face, "look at me!"

She glanced in his direction, still intent on avenging herself.

"You know what I think would be AWESOME? After training?" He asked.

"Kicking Ryan?" She asked.

"Um, _no_ ," he smiled through his discomfort at the suggestion of continued violence against another preschooler, "I was thinking...maybe we could play a game!"

"Wicked Scary?" Ryan butted in, distracted from what was, quite seriously, mortal peril.

"NO," Raven and Starfire responded at the same time. Though Raven and Beast Boy had definitely gotten the short end of the stick with Marie, Starfire had likewise not appreciated sleeping next to Ryan, who rather enjoyed sleeping as non-humanoid animals. It had been cute the first time - but _not_ the second, when she was left with shaggy green dog hair all over her once-clean sheets. It was in everyone's best interests that the children remain in their OWN room.

"Uh, anything BUT that," Beast Boy rectified, "or we could..." he wracked his brain for other childhood pasttimes that he had enjoyed, "do some...coloring?"

"With crayons?" Marie asked, skeptical of his offering.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy grinned, pleased that he had kept the decorating supplies from the last titan birthday.

"Is there green?" Marie demanded, with more force than Beast Boy felt was necessary for the subject at hand.

"I think so," he nodded, "but you can't draw if you're still holding onto Ryan."

Marie's eyes glowed as she demonstrated with a discarded bird-a-rang, that she most certainly _could_ , at least when it came to carving lines in the wall.

"...oh..."

"Marie," Raven stole her attention from her less-than-competent father, "I need to heal your face."

Now that her mother had mentioned it, her jaw DID hurt. A little. Maybe more than a little. A LOT.

Reminded of her current condition, and adrenaline running out, the pain of her injury took hold, and Marie started wailing, dropping Ryan a substantial distance from the ground, which Starfire was quick to save him from.

Marie clutched Raven's cloak, as Raven inspected the damage and healed what appeared to be a fractured jaw.

"Ok," Raven announced, "I'm done."

She started to stand up, when Marie, still gripping her cloak, pulled her back down.

"Ahh!" Raven gasped as she struggled to keep her balance, then turned to the little girl with an irritated look, " _what_?"

"You need to make it better," Marie pointed to her face with her free hand.

"I did," Raven spat, "now let _go_."

Raven pulled her cloak from out of the girl's grasp, causing her to fall back onto her bottom, and start tearing.

"Ugh," Raven resigned herself to what seemed like a constant stream of apologies owed to the needy child, and said, yet again, "sorry," and picked Marie up with her powers, setting her upright again.

Apparently, that was not sufficient.

"Why can't you be NICE?" Marie screamed up at her, little hands balled into angry fists, "why can't you be like DADDY and Aunt Starfire?!" She pounded her hands into Raven's legs, with surprising strength considering her small stature.

"Ow," Raven commented, before using her powers to hold the girl's hands in place, away from her person, "if you like _Daddy_ and Aunt Starfire so much, then go bother _them_."

Raven walked past her, ignoring the stares she was getting from her teammates, and the sniffling coming from Marie, forewarning the onset of tears.

Starfire watched Raven leave, before turning back to the conversation currently taking place between Robin and Ryan. Or, more accurately, the one-way conversation led by Robin, spoken AT Ryan.

"...was directly against my orders! I told Marie to try and cover you both with her forcefield specifically BECAUSE it's so strong. Not even _starbolts_ can get through."

Starfire winced at the insult to her powers, but allowed her boyfriend to continue his lecture uninterrupted.

"You could have hurt yourself," Robin told him, gripping his arm, "just like you hurt Marie!"

"Daddy..." Ryan started tearing, "you're hurting me..."

Ryan's pleading broke Robin from his trance, and he looked down to see how tight his hold was, then promptly released it, taking a step back.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered, regaining his composure under Starfire's questioning eye, "I got carried away. I just...I don't want either of you getting hurt," he turned his gaze towards Starfire, "I don't want _anyone_ , getting hurt."

Starfire caught his meaning. Today's training session had been called as soon as Robin told them about his theory, and focused completely on teaching the kids to protect themselves, if Ravager broke into the tower a second time. Or, more likely, _when_. The kids could only do so much, of course, but any time they could buy the titans until one of them had a chance to cover them, could be the difference between life and...a substantially darker outcome. Though Robin was always the most verbal about it, all of the titans were well aware of the magnitude of the threat that Slade posed them. Someone like Ravager, who, in so little time, had proven himself equally as capable of breaking into the titans' home and, in Cyborg's case, mind, was not to be underestimated.

For all his faults, for all the terrible things he had done, the titans would be remiss if they didn't recognize that Slade made the conscious decision to spare them. He helped Robin rescue Raven in her childlike form, he didn't murder Robin when he tried to fight back as an apprentice, nor kill the other titans when he had infiltrated their bodies with deadly nanobots. Slade had had ample opportunity, if he so desired. But he didn't. There was absolutely NO guarantee that Ravager felt the same.

So the titans HAD to be prepared. And that included their two newest members. But how could Robin impress upon ones so young, the desperate gravity of the situation? They hardly understood that, for most people, there isn't anyone there to magically heal their life-threatening injuries. If Raven was incapacitated when Ravager attacked, whatever happened to Ryan and Marie could be fatal.

Still, Ryan and Marie were children, and Robin was struggling to go against his upbringing, against the compulsion driven into his mind by years of relentless repetition, which begged him to tell them EXACTLY what was in store, and traumatize them into submission. Not that his mentor traumatized him, exactly. Losing his parents had done that already. If that level of misfortune, of tragedy, of heart-wrenching pain could exist, then how could he refute the possibility that criminals with weapons could add to it? Ryan and Marie were lucky. They had never lost anyone. They didn't understand. And Robin was battling with himself, trying to determine whether or not to explain to them just how bad it could be.

Starfire watched as Robin breathed heavily, and absentmindedly stroked Ryan's hair as he sat in her lap. At least Robin seemed concerned for _Ryan's_ safety today, and not just Marie's. She supposed that was something deserving of thanks. Starfire was not so naive as to think that Robin would change overnight. Had he not the mask of the Robin from earlier days? Had he not the uniform, and the spikey hair, and the cape of the Robin Starfire first fell in love with? He was the same person. He had grown, since Starfire first met him, but, for most creatures, growth does not occur before the eyes. It is a subtle process, over many days and nights, until, one day, you realize that the being before you was not the same as it once was, yet you cannot remember when specifically the change occurred.

Robin was trying, yes. And for that, Starfire was grateful. But he had a ways to go.

"Titans," Robin addressed his two remaining teammates, "we're going to move Ryan and Marie to the safe room for tonight. I want them in our sight at all times."

"Isn't that kind of overkill?" Beast Boy asked from his seat on the floor, holding a still-crying Marie, "can't we just watch them in their room?"

"No," Robin dismissed his suggestion, "there aren't any cameras in our bedrooms," something Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy had insisted upon when Robin suggested it during the tower's construction, "and I want to have their locations documented at all times."

"But, Robin," Starfire interjected, "has not the Ravager already done the compromizing of the security cameras?"

Robin nodded.

"I'd like the footage as backup, in case we need to leave the room," he elaborated, "but I'm counting on the two titans that are in there with them to take charge if anything happens."

"Two titans?" Beast Boy asked.

"You would...like us to do the staying in the safe room, alongside the bumgorfs?" Starfire clarified.

"Yes," Robin affirmed, "we'll stay in pairs."

"Dude..." Beast Boy whined, "there's NOTHING there! What're we supposed to do?! Just stare at the symbols on the walls?"

Marie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Symbols are like pictures," Marie informed him.

"Uh...great," Beast Boy responded, caught off-guard by her contribution to the conversation.

"Like drawings."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"And you don't like the safe room," Marie inferred.

"I mean...I liked it when we thought it would save Raven," he shrugged, "but that, uh, didn't really work out."

"You don't care about the walls in the safe room," Marie got back to her point, completely ignoring his comment.

"No," Beast Boy frowned, "why do you keep-"

"So Ryan and me can draw on the walls," she stated, more than asked.

"Um..." Beast Boy looked at an equally as puzzled Starfire and Robin.

"Mommy says we can't draw on the walls," Marie informed him, "but if no one likes the safe room, then it's ok," she voiced her childish logic to the 'adults'.

"I mean...I...guess it's ok?" Beast Boy looked to Robin for confirmation.

"I don't usually condone vandalism," Robin started, but, seeing the disappointed look from Ryan at his tone, he ammended, "but I guess it wouldn't compromise the safety of the room."

"Glorious!" Starfire spun in the air, holding a now-giggling Ryan, "then let the drawing commence! Friend Beast Boy - have you the crayons of wax?"

"Yeah!" Beast Boy grinned, glad to have _something_ to do rather than just stare at the kids or brood about Ravager, "come one!"

"So...you guys are ok with taking the first shift?" Robin asked.

But Beast Boy and Starfire were already far down the hall, Ryan and Marie in tow.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"URRRR-UGH," Cyborg heaved the last bit of sheet metal into place, covering up the last of the hole Ryan created in the floor. It would have been nice to have Starfire's help, but Robin had called everyone else into training, and since neither of the kids were half robot, Cyborg was allowed to stay behind and make repairs. As usual. He wondered, yet again, how lackadaisical the rest of the team would be about damages if THEY were the ones that had to fix them. Or live without his repairs. He allowed himself a quick daydream of Beast Boy walking over a rug placed over a gaping hold in the floor, and watching him fall through it.

But, to be fair, this wasn't Beast Boy's fault. He knew _exactly_ who he culprit was. He was starting to think that Marie might be his favorite of the two children. Out of the corner of his mechanical eye, he saw a few blue sparks sputtering from the dead game station. Never mind. They were equally as awful.

Though, on some level, feeling a little used and left out, as he kneeled, welding pieces of metal together, while his teammates trained with their little families, he was honestly glad to have some time to think. Cyborg had not borne the brunt of the work, when it came to the towers' new additions - at least from a child care perspective. But with the DNA tests, and genetic compatibility tests, and then the disks and the rest of Ravager's calling cards...he hadn't exactly been taking it easy. So these few minutes, just him and his metal floorboards, without Robin ordering him around or the sound of chaos around him, was MUCH appreciated.

And, truth be told, Cyborg had a LOT to think about. Ravager had hacked him. HACKED him. At the WORST possible time. Why couldn't he have attacked Cyborg BEFORE there were two mini-titans in the mix? He supposed that whatever genetic data Ravager had pulled from his memory chips would have been there anyway, from the time when the titans original database of health data was set up, but it wouldn't have been as recent. It wouldn't have included the specific details on which titans were capable of procreating with each other. Like some villain would care about the titans' love lives. They'd all risk their lives for each other already. Did it matter who would be canoodling with whom?

Cyborg turned off his soldering iron and wiped some sweat off of his brow.

Like this Ravager guy was sitting in his lair, just reading through their genetic blueprints and watching them through their cameras as the titans played their dysfunctional game of house, and dreamt up extra additions to their so-called families.

Cyborg's human eye widened.

Yeah, the idea of Ravager watching them as a form of entertainment was mildly amusing, but his train of thought had led him to a separate conclusion. What if, in the future, someone with the titans' genetic data had played musical DNA, and created Ryan and Marie on their own? His teammates were formidable on their own, but together? He could already see the effects in Ryan. Beast Boy was pretty much defenseless in human form, and Starfire was limited if she was knocked out of the sky or held down by something stronger than her, but Ryan could escape from anything just by changing size, he had two forms of flight, even though he chose not to use one - once he was trained, he would be a fighting MACHINE.

It _would_ explain the weird combination of genetics. But then, Marie? What was the point of making HER? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have a Raven-Beast Boy combination? Their child would probably be deadlier than Ryan. No offense to Robin, but he was, well, _human_. A human with incredible endurance, and strength, and acrobatic ability, but a human nonetheless. His skills could be learned, and would have to be. No one's just _born_ with that level of combat ability. So making Marie wouldn't hold any obvious advantage.

Maybe he was overthinking it.

Cyborg checked his arm panel for the tenth time, seeing the same, consistent power drain he had been experiencing all day. It was probably related to his episode of unconsciousness. But there was no malware, no broken hardware...NOTHING. He slammed the panel shut and leaned against the kitchen counter.

There weren't words to describe the magnitude of the violation Cyborg felt, knowing that someone had gone INSIDE his curcuitry, his mind - his BODY, without his knowledge, or consent. He might never have even KNOWN if Robin hadn't found the security camera footage. It sickened him. Ravager DID something to him. Something he couldn't identify. Something he wasn't even sure about. He couldn't tell if Ravager had stolen, broken, scarred - he left no trace. As if he hadn't even been there in the first place. As if the intrusion into Cyborg's very being was nothing more than a frivolous pasttime, not worthy of note. And Cyborg NEVER would have known.

Cyborg held a hand to his head.

His thoughts had been running in circles all day, playing back the footage again, and again, and AGAIN. He KNEW that they were all at risk. That Ravager was capable of far more than just taunting them with R-labeled disks. That they were ALL vulnerable, and ALL in danger. But that didn't lessen the grotesque significance of what had happened to HIM. How could he shut down for the night when he had no idea what unknown terrors lay in store for his dozing body? How could he be calm, when his battery was literally draining before his eyes?

However, Cyborg was a titan. A member of a team. A protector of the city. He couldn't afford to stop everything and deal with the shock, and the anger, and the sadness, and the fear - his friends' lives were at stake. Marie and Ryan, were at stake. And as much as he wanted to curl up into a ball and sob in his room, he just _couldn't_. He had people that counted on him, that he _loved_. He had to be there for them, no matter how much he was breaking on the inside.

Cyborg appreciated this time, to consider, and reflect, and let the tears currently making their way down his human cheek flow freely. He was half robot, yes. But that didn't mean that Cyborg couldn't _feel_. Something that, at this moment, he was painfully, acutely aware of. And for this few, small, fleeting moments, Cyborg let himself.

"Check it out! We have a floor again!"

"Please, friend Cyborg - do you know where the supplies of celebration are located?"

Cyborg wiped his face with his arm, smearing the tears with the sweat and grime from the soldering iron. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, then turned around.


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 42

"That's not a dog."

"Yes it is!"

"It doesn't _look_ like a dog"

"Yes it DOES!"

Beast Boy transformed into a floppy-eared canine, gesturing between himself and his drawing.

"Oh! I now see the similarity between the tail of Beast Boy and the tail upon the dog of the wall!"

"...that's one of the legs," Beast Boy frowned, back in boy-form.

"You did a bad job," Marie informed him.

"It's not like _yours_ was that great," Beast Boy grumbled.

"I find friend Marie's lines of squiggle to be most unique!"

"They aren't skigali lines!" Marie corrected the misinterpretation, "it's Mommy's powers!"

"But Raven's powers are black," Beast Boy pointed to the green amidst the ball of what, to a casual observer, was DEFINITELY a ball of two-tone scribbles.

"That's Daddy," she explained.

"Really?" Beast Boy frowned at the picture, "then why can't I see any of me?"

He squinted at the few bits of green peeking out from beneath the black.

"'Cause you annoyed Mommy," Marie said simply.

"Huh?" Beast Boy looked between the little girl and her drawing, confused.

"Glorious!" Starfire clapped, giggling, "it is the depiction of when Raven has done the attacking of you because you have failed to respect her wishes!" She turned to Marie, "you are most talented, my little bumgorf!"

"What about MY drawing?" Ryan tugged on her skirt, desperate for his own attention.

"Of course!" Starfire turned eagerly towards his section of the wall, "I am most excited to see what it is you have created!"

"It's me and Daddy!" Ryan explained eagerly, before anyone had a chance to look.

"Oo!" Starfire flew closer, examining the details of the two stick figures with awe, "I see you are both in possession of the masks!"

"Yeah!" Ryan nodded proudly, "an' capes an' comicaders!"

Beast Boy scowled at the image of the two identically dressed figures.

"At least HE drew something nice for HIS dad."

"It IS nice!" Marie defended herself, balling her fists, "an' Mommy said you like getting hurt!"

"What?!" Beast Boy cried, "I don't LIKE having stuff blow up in my face, or being thrown into walls, or wedgies, or-"

"Perhaps you misheard?" Starfire interrupted Beast Boy's long list of grievances.

"NO I DIDN'T," Marie stomped her feet, "Mommy said Daddy likes it rough, and Aunt Starfire said rough means you get hurt!"

Beast Boy's face grew a pale green. He wasn't sure what the context of that statement had been, but he was pretty sure it hadn't been said _to_ Marie so much as _heard_ by.

"Please," Starfire turned to Beast Boy, "this is true? You enjoy the getting of injured?"

"Uh..."

"Because I am happy to do the injuring of you if you require it!" Starfire offered, smiling brightly, "I did not think that anyone enjoyed receiving the pain - Robin continues to remind me that I must refrain from the hugs that crush the spine, but if this is what you wish, I shall apply my full strength!"

OOMPH

Starfire pulled Beast Boy to her chest, and probably WOULD have crushed his spine had he not morphed into a flea and escaped her clutches.

"Dude!" Beast Boy cried, "that's NOT what she meant!"

"Then what is the meaning of 'liking it rough'?" She asked innocently.

"Go ask Robin," Beast Boy shoved off the role of translator onto her beloved boyfriend. Let the so-called boy wonder deal with it.

"I don't wanna draw anymore," Marie announced, bored with the teens' discussion.

"Me either," Ryan stood by his friend.

Beast Boy jumped at the chance to change the subject, and immediately asked, "have you guys heard of a little game called...tic-tac-toe?"

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Be it games or high-crime fighting, Robin always felt the pressure. He lived each moment as if not just the weight of, but the actual _world_ lay on his shoulders, and any minor failing would cause it to fall to the ground and shatter. Though the other titans often felt that he took things far too seriously for his own good, to some extent, his feelings were warranted. After all, who was the one who made sure the bills were paid? That their taxes were filed? Who coordinated with the local police force to make sure their crime-fighting activities were classified as legal? Who negotiated with insurance companies to pay for all their incidental damages? Robin. That was who.

Sure, Cyborg took the lead on their mechanical problems. He'd rebuilt parts of the tower numerous times, fixed malfunctioning electronics, created, then maintained, their various vehicles. He even took it upon himself to upgrade the tower's security systems, which, despite Ravager's unexplicable breach, was pretty incredible. Then there was Raven - would any of them even _be_ there without her healing abilities? Starfire provided unconditional love, and Beast Boy tried to keep things light in even the most dire of circumstances, but how was any of that _essential_?

Robin had lived almost his entire life, up until joining the titans, without any of those things. He appreciated them, certainly, but did he _need_ them? He hadn't had love or lightheartedness in his life, or speedy recoveries, but somehow he managed to survive just fine. Robin was not one to downplay the need for gadgets and security - those were large parts of the foundation he had built his life as a superhero around. However, Robin was stealthy. He could manage. But could the _team_?

As much as he cared for them, Robin recognized that his teammates had no real concept of his role as their leader. He wasn't just the guy that got to call the shots, and mae the plans, and order them around. He was the one that looked _after_ them. Not in an emotional way - no one would accuse him of _that_ \- but he was the head of the household. He was the one, without whom, the house would no longer stand, because all those logistical columns that were holding it up would collapse. Raven was from a different dimension. Starfire from another planet. Beast Boy from another team whose leader filled the same role. Cyborg, for all his accomplishments, was just a kid whose parents, as far as Robin had guessed, had probably provided for him. Robin, only by the virtue of being raised by a man who lived without regard to laws or limitations, and had a butler who would constantly remind him of both, was acutely aware of everything he would need to take care of once he left them. And he was absolutely certain that he would.

Robin was smart, and he knew that once he left the home of his adoptive father, there were no guarantees. He didn't know if he would still be provided for financially, or recognized as a member of the man's family, or even loved. So he prepared. He learned everything he could from the gentleman in his mentor's employ, so that, by the time he went, he was ready. Ready to be on his own. Armed with not only his traning, and his martial arts, and those few gadgets he had taken with him, but with the knowledge of how the world worked, out there, beyond the gates of home.

Robin's anxious mind was calmed by careful planning and organization. Knowing what he had to do to ensure his financial survival was a great source of comfort to him. Of course, he hadn't counted on meeting his friends.

Whether he called them his family, or his team, or whetever other moniker he so desired, the titans were a unit. A group existing outside the reality of the average Jump Citian, yes. But one that was also subject to the societal and economic constraints that everyone else was. So Robin, met with a sense of desire to align himself with his fellow heroes, and a great sense of impending panic, took a deep breath, and started planning. Creating a budget. Writing a proposal, and a slide deck, to illustrate the benefits such a team would have on the city - nay, the _world_ \- if Jump City allowed them to serve it, and his mentor agreed to supply some level of financing. To his great relief, everything worked out the way he had hoped.

But he was dealing with teenagers. Ones not nearly as disciplined as Robin. Ones who simply didn't _understand_ the reality of how things worked out there, in the real world. So they were unconcerned with his nagging about spending to much on video games, or his curt reminders that lights shouldn't be left on if no one was in the room, or his suggestions that a certain member of the time might NOT need to keep chugging their three-dollar mustard when there was a perfectly good sink with _free_ running water. These were Robin's burdens to bear.

Robin had accepted his fate. Stepped into the role almost eagerly. He was a man - an _adult_ \- making it on his own, supporting not only himself, but four others he had taken under his proverbial wing. But that didn't mean it wasn't challenging.

So, when Robin sat in the evidence room, frustrated with his inability to discover _anything_ whatsoever about Ravager, and turned back to his sorely neglected task of figuring out how Ryan and Marie even _got_ into their time period, a terrifying new reality dawned upon him. He had no way of knowing why they appeared in the living room that night. He had no idea how they got there, or who sent them. He didn't know if they would, or _could_ be sent back to the future they were born in. Which meant that it was a definite possibility, maybe even inevitability, that Marie and Ryan were going to be with them _forever._

Had the other titans come to this conclusion, their immediate concerns might have been the social implications, societal expectations, the simple fact that none of them were ever going to have a decent night's sleep ever again - but Robin's concern, the one sending his brain into a panic, was that they just couldn't _afford_ it. Two more mouths to feed, more frequent, more _expensive_ damages to the tower, and no way he was ever going debase himself by asking his mentor for any more help than he already had. The situation was impossible. Finances aside, the team couldn't afford to keep having its members out of commission. If Ravager was any indication, villains were getting more _villainous_ , and they ALL needed to be present and focused if they had any chance of success against them.

That aside, Robin knew that all of the titans, and he most of all, felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility for each other. If one of them was injured during battle, every one of them blamed theselves. The uninjured for not getting there in time, and the injured one for letting everyone else down. If someone was upset? Everyone felt it. Everyone cared.

Up until now, the titans had been treating Marie and Ryan like other people's children. Ones they had been forced, against their will, to babysit. Starfire seemed to love Ryan, yes - but it was with the affection one has for a pet, not one's own child. If Ryan and Marie were staying, someone would need to _parent_ them. Real parenting. Like making sure they ate their veggies, and taking them to the dentist, and asking terrifying questions like "do we need to move to a better school district?" And what were the legal implications of five teenagers raising two children? Surely no family court would give them custody. But where else could they go? They couldn't let Ryan and Marie go into foster care, and accidentally kill some well-meaning woman that just told them to go to bed when they wanted to watch tv.

Robin's eyes glazed over behind his mask. He held onto the edge of his desk, hanging his head between them, focusing on the floor and trying to keep the room from spinning. What were they going to _do_?

When Robin was faced with events outside his control, he turned, as always, to his planning. But he couldn't _plan_ for something he didn't wholly understand the scope of. How _could_ he? As much as he hated to admit it, he was just a kid himself. And prepared as he was for everything else, he couldn't prepare for something he was wholly unfamiliar with. He wished, not for the first time, that his adoptive father had done a better job. Maybe then he'd have someone to talk to about it. But, pride issues aside, what was the point of asking advice from someone that had no experience being a real parent?

No, planning was out of the question.

That simple knowledge made Robin's raging heart rate slow. If he couldn't plan, that meant that the best way to proceed was just by putting one foot in front of the other, dealing with more pressing tasks.

Worrying about whether or not Marie and Ryan were there to stay, wasn't going to help him find Ravager, or figure out how he breached the security system. Right now, _those_ were the things he had to think about. Protecting his house. Regardless as to whether or not Marie and Ryan were technically part of it.

So Robin raised his head, took a deep breath, and got back to work.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Raven breathed out. Slowly. Relishing every second of the exhale as she ended her meditation. _Without_ interruption. She sighed contentedly, lowering herself onto her matress. It was still taking some getting used to. The new bed frame. She still wanted to order her old one again, once their supplier had finished their renovations. Robin probably wouldn't allow it. He had issues with unnecessary spending, for some reason Raven didn't care enough to investigate.

For a minute, she sat in silence, still in lotus position, and waited for the whirlwhind of activity that could be any combination of Beast Boy, Ryan, and Marie...but none came. Raven frowned, skeptical. Had something happened to them?

Raven closed her eyes and concentrated hard on the emotions flowing through the tower. Fear, sadness, unbridled joy - definitely Starfire - but nothing intense enough to describe a cataclysmic event. She opened her eyes and smiled.

How rare it was that Raven had a moment to herself, where she wasn't just meditating. She read her books, of course, but usually from the mild discomfort of the common room because, despite her claims to the contrary, she enjoyed the human contact. The feeling of being part of something greater than herself. Not feeling so... _alone_.

But Raven had had just about as much quality time as she could take. She wanted to be left alone. Just for another hour. Just long enough to start actually _wanting_ to be around other people again.

Raven let herself fall back onto the bed, feeling her back sink softly into her new matress. It wasn't the same as the old one, but it would do.

She stared up at her ceiling, appreciating the serenity of the monotone color. So uncomplicated. So unlike her life right now. Or ever.

Raven lazily let her gaze drift further back, until it came to rest on her new bed frame.

She had to admit, it _was_ beautiful. The intricacy of the carvings, the attention to detail - whoever designed it had clearly outdone themselves. It fit quite nicely with her room. And yet, something about it was... _other_. What _was_ it though? Raven sat up and turned her body around to see the headboard more clearly. It had those birds that resembles those of her namesake. It had vines - was that it? The presence of something so alive, in a room so dark? Raven looked about her bedroom, but found nothing quite at odds with it. She supposed she _did_ have an ecclectic mix of decor in her room. All dark-leaning, but still of different origins. What _was_ it?!

BEAST BOY.

Raven scowled. She FINALLY had some time alone and here she was, pondering how her bed frame, of all things, somehow reminded her of him. Was there REALLY no escaping his annoying green face?!

Maybe it was because they bought it together, or maybe because Marie said it was _their_ bed. As opposed to JUST Raven's. The thought made her cringe. Great. Now she was going to feel disgusted every time she slept there.

But it wasn't _just_ that. She turned her attention back to the wood. It was that the image, which seemed, at first glance, to have a certain darkness, was actually full of life. Animals, plants - a whole ecosystem. A perfect combination of darkness, and light, where neither was belittled, both respected in their own right, but tempered by the presence of the other. Just like her and Beast Boy.

Raven shuddered. If she and Beast Boy ever DID make the poor decision to cohabitate in a single bedroom, she could understand why he wouldn't protest her keeping her bed. That and the fact that he had a bunk bed, which, they were both aware, was NOT meant for sharing.

Raven groaned, and slid her legs over the side of her bed. She was spending too much time with him. Now he was annoying her even when he wasn't THERE.

Raven put her hand out and summoned the book she had been trying to get through, from her bookshelf, and made herself comfortable against her new pillows. Well, new except for the drool stains left by Marie's nap the other day. Yay motherhood.

Sighing, Raven opened her book to the page she had been stuck on, and finally made it to the next chapter.


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 43

It had taken four foiled escape attempts, three bouts of tears, two temper tantrums, and one extended healing session before Raven and Starfire were able to get Marie and Ryan to sleep. Starfire was relieved by the culmination of their multi-hour endeavor. Raven almost wished they were still awake.

"Ow," Raven commented, as Ryan's claw poked her in the thigh.

Being a human pillow, where there were two very accommodating mattresses on the floor, was NOT what Raven had signed up for. If you counted Robin ordering her and Starfire to be the safe room night watch 'signing up'.

She glared at the unfairly mobile Starfire, who was gleefully unburdened without a sleeping child and tiger cub burrowing into her sides. Had she done something to imply that she WANTED them to climb atop her lap and take residence? Maybe it was the fact that Starfire didn't have a cloak. The kids seemed to constantly be wrapping themselves in it, like a giant security blanket. Maybe they'd stop it if she just handed one of them over. Of course, that might start an argument - sharing was not necessarily their forte - and she had zero interest in reliving that second tantrum. So maybe she'd have to part with two of them. At the rate she was going, she'd have to start going out in just her leotard.

"Friend Raven," Starfire whispered in the dark, scooting closer to the empath, "are they asleep?"

Marie rolled over in Raven's lap, pulling the fabric of her cloak and causing her brooch to press painfully into her neck. Sighing, she used her powers to remove it, letting the cloak fall around her.

"It looks like it."

Starfire nodded, and lit her hand up with a softly pulsing starbolt, casting a lime glow about the room.

Unfortunately, Robin had meant what he said when he demanded that the children be restricted to the safe room when not training or tending to their bodily needs. Even at bed time. So he had corralled Beast Boy and Cyborg into helping him move Beast Boy's mattresses into the room, and told Raven and Starfire to take the first shift. Raven had noted, with much annoyance, that sleeping arrangements had been made only for the kids, and not for either of the older girls. Apparently she and Starfire weren't supposed to be sleeping while they were on duty. She scowled at the thought that the boys might already be in bed.

Starfire seemed much less bothered by the situation than Raven, but, then again, Starfire wasn't the one being used as a makeshift bed for two.

"How did I end up with them again?" Raven asked, rhetorically.

Naturally, Starfire answered.

"I believe you were doing the healing, and I was to begin the telling of the bed time story, and Ryan and Marie requested that I do the acting out, but it appeared that the tale of the battle against the Gordonians caused too much of the fear."

Raven rolled her eyes. She was well aware of WHY the traumatized children were hiding beneath her cape. She just didn't get why they couldn't have attacked _Starfire_ instead. Though, she supposed, it would make sense that they had no interest in being nearer to the one that just shared horrifying tales of war and bloodshed. Clearly, Tamaraneans had a very different idea of what counted as PG.

"Here," Raven readjusted herself, leaning her left side towards Starfire so she could take Ryan, "help get them off of me."

Starfire reached a non-glowing hand out for Ryan, only to have him strike at her, then morph into a hedgehog, balling into himself so that his prickly spikes jabbed Raven's skin, and caught on the cloak.

"They do not appear to want to get off."

"I can see that."

Raven resigned herself, and placed her hands on the floor behind her, supporting the weight of her torso as she leaned back. Starfire, as if feeling left out, moved closer, so that her own crossed legs were all but touching Raven's. Normally, Raven would say something. But what did it matter if one person was added to her already-punctured personal space bubble? Starfire might as well have joined the party.

"I feel like a child-magnet," Raven stated.

Starfire giggled, covering her mouth to muffle the noise.

"You must rejoice in the knowledge that you are much loved by the bumgorfs!"

"Lucky me."

Raven glanced down at the children, and winced as Marie drooled onto her hip.

"Why don't they climb all over YOU?"

It was meant as a complaint, really. Just something to be noted, chuckled at, then tossed aside. Yes, it bothered her. But she had intended it to be taken lightly.

Starfire, however, tilted her head in silence, truly considering her answer.

Raven raised a brow.

"I didn't mean-"

"You recall my sister Blackfire, yes?" Starfire interrupted.

Raven nodded.

"When we were small children on Tamaran, all that I desired was to be the friends. To do the watching of the portkins and the playing with the dolls and the training for battle together..." she smiled wistfully, "but Blackfire did not hold such interests. She was persistent in her reminders that I was the younger, and therefore the inferior one, not worthy of her time."

Marie mumbled in her sleep, and Starfire waited until she had quieted before continuing.

"It was for this reason that I started to do the trying of harder. I prepared for her the celebratory meat crown, even when it was not her day of birth. I bestowed upon her the best of the stones I had collected from the palace grounds. I obeyed all of the things she had done the asking of - the sneaking into the kitchens in the night to procure the glorg for the snack of midnight, the clipping of her toenails," Raven shuddered, "and yet nothing I had done was enough to convince her that I was acceptable."

"So...did you stop?"

Starfire shook her head.

"When one is unsure of their place in another's heart," Starfire said, "they will do most anything to find it. Ryan," she gestured at the hedgehog, "is not the sure of how Robin feels for him. Thus, he attempts to do the impressing of Robin, so that Robin will see that he is deserving of the time and the affection."

"That makes sense," Raven agreed, "but then why doesn't he try and prove himself to _you_?"

"Because," Starfire gazed at the sleeping child, affectionately stroking his spikes, "he has the knowledge that I am aware of his worth."

"And that means he doesn't want to crawl all over you... _why_?"

"Though I am aware that you dislike the being touched," Starfire noted, in response, "many others view the touching and the closeness of the bodies to indicate the love. If Blackfire had shown that she had cared for me," Starfire brought back her earlier example, "then I would have had no desire to do the following of her and giving of in to her, because I would have had the feeling of confidence that if I had left her alone, and then returned, she would still have done the remembering of me, and the missing of me, and would have felt the joy at my return and the desire to do the spending of time with me."

"So you're saying," Raven tried to translate Starfire's words into her own, "that Ryan's obsessed with Robin because Robin doesn't seem to like him?"

Starfire nodded.

"This is also the reason for friend Marie."

"Beast Boy lets her do whatever she wants," Raven scoffed, "she's definitely not trying to impress _him_."

"No," Starfire clarified, "it is for this reason that friend Marie does the crawling on top of _your_ lap."

"She doesn't _always_ do it," Raven corrected.

Starfire was silent.

It was true, what Raven had said. Marie really _did_ seem content to play with Beast Boy, and didn't seem to require any extended physical contact with either of them. She definitely wasn't like Ryan, whose only goal in life appeared to be spending time with, and possibly becoming, his father. Marie was much better adjusted. To be fair, she _did_ suffer from separation anxiety - made abundantly clear by her many nights of forcing Beast Boy and Raven to stay with her while she slept and her confession that she feared their separation and then abandonment. But who was it she had specifically been concerned about abandoning her?

Raven shifted her gaze to the little girl clutching her cloak like a lifeline, nudging her side every so often, as if to ensure that Raven was still there.

No, Marie's condition wasn't nearly as serious as Ryan's, but Starfire may still have had a point. Wasn't it Raven, who Marie demanded a kiss from on her injuries? And Raven, who Marie had literally accused of planning to abandon her? Was it not Raven, almost 100% of the time, whose lap she climbed onto for comfort? Did that mean Marie felt like future Raven didn't love her, the same way Starfire doubted Blackfire, and Ryan doubted Robin? Did it matter that, unlike with Blackfire, Marie was wrong?

Present Raven still wasn't exactly PRO the looking-after-the-kids thing, but their behaviors probably stemmed from a time before they were pushed into the past. It was a comment on FUTURE Raven, not her.

"Raven?"

The empath jolted at the realization that Starfire's concerned face was barely two inches from her own, and Starfire sat back.

"What?" She demanded, anger being her default response when startled. Starfire knew this, of course. Some things become obvious when one has lived with another for as long as they had.

Unfazed, Starfire responded, "I did not mean to do the implying that Marie does not believe that you have the love for her and make the time for her," she apologized, clearly meaning to imply that Robin and Ryan had a VERY different relationship from that of Raven and Marie, "but you are..." she paused, choosing her words carefully, "not one who enjoys wearing the organs on the arm. Perhaps Marie is aware of this," she offered, "and thus makes the effort to allow you to do the showing of it?"

Wonderful. Even Raven's daughter could tell that she was emotionally stunted. That didn't really explain the issue of possible abandonment, but that was a topic that, unfortunately, she had reserved for Beast Boy. At least, as far as everything else went, her future self wasn't the worst parent of the four. That honor was definitely still future Robin's. But that didn't mean she was a good one.

Did she care, though? She wasn't the one who decided to have Marie - or possibly Mark - so why should it be _her_ problem how Marie felt about her? In reality, ALL of the titans were imposters, pretending to be people that didn't even exist yet, for the benefit of two children that weren't even born in their time period. Where was the sense in any of it? What was the POINT?

She looked again at the sleeping Marie. In the darkness, lit up by only the green light of Starfire's hand, their chromatic differences weren't discernable. There was just a little girl that looked exactly like Raven, who, unlike her, was wrapped in her mother's clothes, heart beating in time with that of the woman who, in theory, would eventually birth her. Raven couldn't remember curling up beside her own mother. Not on her lap, or in her bed, or even in the same room. What Raven had had were monks, and mantras, and books that, when she could finally read, she used to escape to faraway lands, which, she realized, never really held traditional families.

Raven read books about adventure, history, languages, poetry, love - but never families. She actively avoided reading Earth's general fiction, and anything whatsoever that focused on children who weren't out in the world alone. It wasn't that she couldn't bring herself to read it. It was that, when she had given it a chance, she had no means of comparison. She had the mental capacity to imagine it, sure. But she simply didn't understand when parents cried when their children left for college in the stories, or why they got mad when a kid got home late from a party, or why any of the characters cared what their parents thought. It seemed ridiculous. After all, why would it matter that your mother wanted you home at 10pm when you had a crime alert that you needed to respond to? How was your father's opinion of any consequence when you had a responsibility to save the world? Why did the parents even CARE?

None of the titans grew up with normal families, with the possible exception of Cyborg, who appeared to have had the traditional Earthen setup until he became part machine. Raven, as Starfire had all but said to her face, was emotionally guarded, with trust issues and severe insecurities, which, to be honest, the other titans really didn't know the extent of. Robin clearly had an unhealthy level of obsession and paranoia. Beast Boy, she had recently realized, had a deep and unsettling pit of guilt and pain that he had, up until recently, been successfully hiding. The only ones who seemed to be well-adjusted were Starfire and Cyborg. And they weren't even from the same planet. Was that just because of their individual personalities though? Or was it the way they were raised? Or was it simply unrelated events? Was it nature, or nurture, or something else entirely, that decided who you were going to be?

She shifted her gaze to Ryan, then back to Marie. Would they have a better chance of being ok, if they were raised like Cyborg? Or Starfire?

Raven furrowed her brows.

Starfire.

In the early days of the titans' formation, there had been a certain incident where Starfire and Raven had switched bodies. Their powers were out of control, the boys were after them - it had been a complete mess. The only way they were able to succeed was to share their stories. Where they were raised, what their childhoods were like, how they learned to control their powers in the first place. They had needed to understand where each other were coming from, both literally and figuratively.

It was on that night that their friendship was solidified. And, up until the whole business with Raven's father happened, Starfire had been the one who had known the most - though certainly not all - of Raven's story. Raven had trusted her. But Starfire had not done the same.

True to form, Starfire mentioned nothing of her rivaly with Blackfire, never mentioned Galfore, or even the existence of a single parent - rather, she had focused on the culture of Tamaran, the things she had seen, and done, and experienced; just enough to get the necessary information across so that Raven could safely access her powers.

So how exactly _did_ Starfire know so much? Why was it so much _easier_ for her to jump headfirst into the role of caregiver, when everyone else struggled?

"Hey, Starfire?" Raven turned her head away from the kids, and met her friend's eyes, "how are you dealing so _well_ with all of this?"

"Hm?" Starfire was unsure of what exactly she was asking.

"How are you so _good_ with Ryan and Marie?" Raven elaborated, "how do you _know_ so much?"

"Please," Starfire was still puzzled, "how do I know so much about what, friend Raven?"

"How do you know so much about being a _mom_?"

Raven stood behind the fact that she was NOT Marie's mother. She was adamant that, whoever Marie was, Raven hadn't chosen to have children, was completely opposed to the idea, and should thus not be the one responsible for her wellbeing. Beyond the physical aspects, of course. She wasn't there to provide emotional support, or give the hugs and kisses Starfire seemed so fond of, but she was still curious. If she _had_ to, for some reason, on some future date...how would one _do_ it? How would one be a 'good' mother? How was that even defined?

Raven didn't know many people with parents. At least, not with parents they really spoke to. So as far as Raven was concerned, Starfire was the most qualified person she could ask. And she DID want to know. If not for Marie, then just to understand what it might have been like, if Arella had actually wanted her.

"I suppose," Starfire answered, thinking aloud, "that it was from Galfore."

"Your parents weren't around?" Raven guessed.

"They had other matters to attend to," Starfire waved off the question, "as rulers of the planet, they had little of the time for me," Starfire looked away, and Raven couldn't quite tell if she was tearing in the dim light, "but Galfore," she turned back, "was perhaps the kindest of the people I have ever known. He did the raising of me from the time I was small, and we had much of the fun," she recalled, smiling, "we did the reading of the books and the taking of the walks and the fights of the tickle," Starfire made as if to tickle Raven, and Raven's eyes glowed in an angry negative, causing Starfire to move back, "he was more a father to me than the one that was actually my father."

"Playing games is the key to being a good parent?" Raven asked, almost incredulous.

"No," Starfire thought harder about what specifically it was that had made Galfore so wonderful, "it was..." she started slowly, "that he did the caring of me...and the feeding of me...and the worrying of me...and the teaching of me," she sped up as she continued listing his virtues, "and did the missing of me, and the checking up of me, and the cheering of up when I had the feelings of sadness, and the giving of the advice, and the sharing of the good times, and..." Starfire trailed off, realizing that her audience was getting annoyed at the lack of a concise response.

"Many things are necessary, to be the good parent," Starfire finally said, "but, to do the simplification, it was the knowledge that he would be present for me, should I have need of him, and would do so with love."

"...that's it?" Raven raised a brow.

"Mhm," Starfire smiled, confident in her answer.

Was it really _that_ simple? Just having someone you knew you could count on? It seemed almost too easy. After all, weren't the titans all there for each other, always? Hadn't Raven trusted them all, on multiple occasions, to have her back? Hadn't they proven that they all loved her, in their own ways? Is that what parents were meant to be like? If so, it couldn't have been too hard for her future self, right?

But the fact still stood that Marie had said, to her face, that she was scared that Raven was going to leave her, and not look back. That didn't sound like what Starfire was describing. It sounded more like...Arella.

Raven didn't have the same attachment to her mother as Marie appeared to have to Raven, but that didn't mean that Raven, as a young child, hadn't wondered if she was ever going to see Arella again. It was more of a curiosity than a true desire to have a relationship with the woman, but it illustrated Starfire's point. Apparently, a good parent doesn't make you question whether or not they'll be there in the morning.

Perhaps that was why her future self appeared to be removed from Marie. Future Raven probably loved her, but felt that the fact that she saw Marie every day was enough. It was already so, _so_ much more than what her own mother had done for her. She probably tended to Marie's needs, gave the occasional token of affection, and thought she was doing fine. And she probably was. But fine isn't _good_.

"I am aware that you do not have the interest in the rearing of the children," Starfire broke into her thoughts, "but I am confident that, if you do indeed decide to have the bumgorfs, you will be a most wonderful mother," she beamed.

Raven looked at her skeptically.

"How do you know?"

"Because," Starfire smiled, "I will be there to do the teaching."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Unlike Raven's initial assumption, the boys were NOT in bed. Robin was still cooped up in his evidence room, and Beast Boy and Cyborg sat on the couch, clicking their controllers halfheartedly.

"Hey," Cyborg asked, lowering his hands, "is it cool if we stop playing?"

"Why?" Beast Boy asked, "afraid I'll beat you again?"

He tried to offer a menacing and cheeky smile, but his effort was weak. He let the facade drop.

"I don't feel like playing either."

They sat there for a while, both absently watching the animated cars drive around the track in the background of the completion screen.

"Cy?" Beast Boy finally broke the silence, "do you think Robin and Starfire have stuff they dont tell us?"

"Yeah. I mean, we all do," Cyborg shrugged.

"No," Beast Boy corrected himself, "like, do you think they talk to each other about stuff, but not us?"

"Yeah," Cyborg said again, then, with slightly more animation, added, "I don't wanna know about ANYTHING they do when we're not there."

"I guess," Beast Boy frowned, turning back to the tv.

Cyborg looked sideways at him. It wasn't like Beast Boy to be so... _down_. But then again, emotions had been all over the place with the kids and Ravager to deal with. Cyborg certainly wasn't prone to solemn introspection, but even _he_ had had his moments.

Ever since his accident, Cyborg had thought of himself as a monster. An unnatural concoction of gears and bolts and shredded flesh, creating something that, while not completely machine, was certainly _not_ human. His father had frequently reminded him that others were in similar situations. Heart patients with pacemakers, people recovering on ventilators, people with metal and screws holding broken bones together - they were all part machine, weren't they? Like Cyborg, they depended upon the man-made technology inside them to survive, and breathe, and walk. What did it matter if Victor happened to need more help than most?

When Cyborg was still Victor, his whole life had been physical. Yeah, he enjoyed video games and mechanical engineering, but most of his life was ruled by physicality. Playing football, wrestling with friends, running, biking, swimming - Victor loved it all. The feel of his muscles flexing, stretching, the impact of the football as he caught it, the burn of the grass when he dove for the touchdown; these were the things that gave Victor's life meaning. A guy who got a rush of exhilaration from simply being outdoors and interacting with the world around him, his body drinking in every sensation with an unquenching thirst. A guy with a zest for life and knowledge, adored by his peers...but that was _Victor_.

Cyborg had robotic limbs from the mid-upper arm and the mid-thigh down. More than half of his face was metal. His torso was filled with wires. Sometimes, if he focused, he could feel the buzz of electricity stinging his remaining skin. He couldn't feel the waffle iron when he made breakfast. When he ran, he could only feel the clunk of machinery as his mechanical parts rose and fell, hitting against the human remnants of his torso. With every movement his skin chaffed, scraping across the seams where muscle met metal. People knew him as a hero, professionally. But socially? He was an outcast.

Victor's friends wanted nothing to do with Cyborg. They had simple lives, uncomplicated by the multitude of issues Cyborg faced, and, at one point, Victor had too. But when Cyborg greeted them, they stared, and gaped, and did their best not to meet his glowing red eye. They forced conversation, but weren't sure what was appropriate to say. They checked their watches, and told him they had football practice, or had to babysit, or whatever other excuse they could come up with just to end the awkwardness of speaking to a robot claiming to be their former friend. And Cyborg let them. Why should he have tried to change their minds when he felt the same way they did?

The day of his accident, Victor had perished, and his parents had decided to play Frankenstein with his remains. He hated them for it. He hated himself. He hated _life_. He became a shut-in, focusing on learning how to maintain the body he was stuck in, so that, one day, he wouldn't be forced to stay.

Then, he met the titans. And, for once since his transformation, no one stared. No one laughed. No one tried to aviod him. They spoke to him like he was, well, _human_. And for a moment, he was Victor again. The high school athlete on track for prom king, someone people were impressed by, someone people actually _wanted_ to be around. They asked his name, and internally, he hesitated. He couldn't say Victor. Victor was a memory. A persona that he would never be able to return to, living a life he couldn't. But Cyborg, as he said his new name was, could start anew. Cyborg could earn his place, by being _more_ than Victor ever could. _Cyborg_ would be a hero.

On most days since then, Cyborg thought of himself as an essential part of the team. A friend, a mentor, a brother - even a leader, when the occasion arose. He had his issues, yes. But Beast Boy was green, Starfire was from another planet, Raven was part demon, Robin was _Robin_ \- they were all struggling, in their own way. Struggling to adapt, and fit in, and be confident. And Cyborg was grateful that they had each other as they did so.

However, there were also days like today. Where Cyborg was reminded, like a sickening punch to the gut, that he _wasn't_ like his friends. Despite their respective problems, they were all still flesh and bone. They could be brainwashed, yes - Mad Mod had shown them that. But _Cyborg_ was the only one in danger of being reprogrammed by a computer virus, of shutting down because he ran out of electricity, of having his entire memory downloaded. As different as they felt from those outside the tower, none of the other titans would ever truly be as much of an outsider as the robot formerly known as Victor.

The titans were quick to come to each other's aid in battle, but when it came to deeper, more complex problems, that made them doubt themselves, and kept them up at night, not all were quick to offer their support. Of course, a great deal of this depended upon how open each one was about what was bothering them.

In Cyborg's case, there was a time when Raven had empathized with him about the strong bond he felt between himself and the car he created in his image, which, like him, was a machine with more potential than anyone else truly understood. There was another incident where Starfire had caught him sorely missing Victor's life when he came back from a mission infiltrating the Hive Academy, and reminded him of his worth, as she had never met that former person, and loved Cyborg just the way he was.

Robin's obsessive tendencies were obvious, usually attended to by Starfire and, on one occasion when he came close to harming himself with Slade-related delusions, Raven. Raven's destructive emotional outbursts were literally impossible to ignore, usually solved by herself in the form of meditation. But Beast Boy? As far as Cyborg knew, he hadn't usually had any help. Even from himself.

When Beast Boy was doubting his own place on the team because no one wanted him around, then got abducted and rescued, what had the titans done, when he asked to be alone? They let him. When Terra betrayed them, and Beast Boy holed himself up in her room, lying on her couch and whimpering as a dog in his depression - what had they done? Given him space. When Beast Boy inadvertantly became the Beast, and thought he might have hurt Raven? The other titans accused him of hurting her, and wouldn't listen to his protests.

It was a well known fact that Beast Boy _loved_ people. His was happiest when around others, especially when entertaining them. So when he had been at his lowest, even when he might have _thought_ he wanted space, what he NEEDED was something else entirely. What Beast Boy had needed was someone, _anyone_ , to sit silently beside him until he was ready to talk, and offer him their hand to hold or shoulder to cry on, or even just given him a small nod of understanding, or a whispered "it'll be ok."

Cyborg and Beast Boy were buddies. Best friends, even. They spent a ridiculous amount of time together, playing video games, eating pizza, playing pranks, continuing the vegetarian vs. meat-lovers debate - they weren't inseparable, but they didn't maintain much of a distance, either. Beast Boy was rarely, if ever, the one to support Cyborg. His love for the older teen was obvious. But, oftentimes, Beast Boy was a little obtuse when it came to the emotional wellbeing of his friends. He wasn't self-absorbed, exactly. It was more that he was _oblivious_.

Thus, Cyborg was unbothered by the fact that it was others, and not Beast Boy, that came to his aid during times of emotional need. Beast Boy had been the first one to make him feel normal, that first day they met, and to Cyborg, there was nothing further the teen needed to do. The fact that they remained such close friends was just an awesome bonus. But Cyborg felt guilty. He hadn't really been there for Beast Boy when he needed it, either. And Cyborg was pretty sure that he hadn't done anything warranting eternal gratitude from Beast Boy. The scales, he felt, were sorely unbalanced. He needed to do better.

So when Cyborg sat, dwelling on his inadvertant aid to Ravager, and was distracted for a moment by Beast Boy's questions, the thought resurfaced; "I can do better." This time, he _would_.

"Is somethin' bothering you?" He asked, turning his full attention to Beast Boy.

If Beast Boy was surprised at the unusual interest Cyborg was exhibiting, he didn't show it.

"It's Raven," Beast Boy admitted, not meeting his eyes.

"Oh."

Cyborg wasn't sure exactly where to go from there. Was Beast Boy falling in love with Raven? Mad at Raven? Ready to maul Raven?

"Did she, uh, say something?" He tried.

"No," Beast Boy kept staring at the ground, "not really."

"Did she do something to Marie?" Cyborg guessed again.

He shook his head.

"Did you pull a bad prank on her?"

Another shake.

"Hit her with a stankball?"

A third.

"Are you...tryin' to ask her out on a date?" Cyborg grasped at straws.

"WHAT?!" Beast Boy's head snapped towards him, horrified, "DUDE!"

"What is it then?!"

Cyborg wanted to be patient. He REALLY did. But he was getting tired of Beast Boy's moping. If he was going to be helpful and supportive, he needed to know what he was dealing with. NOW.

Beast Boy looked away again, fang jutting out as he frowned, "Marie said something about me and Raven in the future."

"What'd she say?"

"Raven doesn't want me to tell anybody."

"Ok," Cyborg shrugged, "so just don't tell anybody."

"But, like, how am I supposed to _do_ that?!" Beast Boy finally broke, his inner conflict coming to a boil.

"Just keep your mouth closed," Cyborg joked.

"I'm serious!" Beast Boy angrily protested the unwanted humor, "it's like this big mystery-thing, and she just TOLD me I can't talk to anyone about it - it's not even fair! Why does _she_ get to tell me what to do?!"

"Well," Cyborg noted, " _you're_ the one that decided to marry her."

"DUDE!"

"Alright, alright!" Cyborg held up his hands in defense.

He really _did_ want to be helpful. But Beast Boy just made himself such an easy target. And it wasn't exactly easy to break out of their usual dynamic.

"What's the real problem, BB?" He asked, "you never listen to Raven."

Beast Boy inhaled before responding, "it's this thing that future me and future Raven were fighting about. 'Cause future us is hav-" he stopped himself, "ugh," he held his head in his hands, "I don't even know if I'm supposed to-"

"Hey," Cyborg put a heavy hand on Beast Boy's shoulder, causing the smaller team to look up at him, "it's ok. You don't have to tell me."

"But I-"

"If it's between you and Raven, it's between you and Raven. I don't go tellin' _you_ about what Rae and I talk about when we're workin' on the T-car."

"You have stuff you don't tell me about?"

"Yeah I do!" Cyborg grinned, "can't have you knowin' all my pranks before I play 'em!"

"That's not the same!" Beast Boy cried.

"Whatever it is, Raven wants to keep it between _you_ and _her_. It's not right to break her trust like that," Cyborg told him.

"But I didn't AGREE!" Beast Boy insisted.

"Hey," Cyborg tried to reason with him, "it's not that big a deal."

"It IS!" Beast Boy shouted, leaping from his seat and frantically gesticulating, "in the future, I _care_ what Raven thinks! Like, I actually _listen_ to her! So if something big happens, or whatever, and she doesn't want us to tell you guys, _she's_ like the ONLY person I get to talk to about it! The ONLY PERSON! I don't want to have to _do_ that! I don't want to NOT talk to you guys just 'cause Raven says I can't!"

Beast Boy breathed heavily, regaining his composure after his outburst.

"I just...I don't want to JUST have Raven to talk to about stuff. In the future."

Cyborg waited until Beast Boy sat back down, slouching over his knees.

"That's not gonna happen, BB," Cyborg smiled.

Beast Boy shot a skeptical, sideways glance at him.

"We all have different relationships, right?" Cyborg continued, "we're all friends with Starfire - and she's dating Robin. But she still talks to us, right?"

Beast Boy listened, but kept staring at the floor.

"And you and me are best buds, right? But we still talk to everyone else."

"So?" Beast Boy challenged weakly, too upset to muster up his usual rebellious tone.

" _So_ , we all got different things we talk to each other about. Like, if the newest edition of Mega Monkeys came out, I'd be draggin' your butt to the mall. And if Starfire wanted some 'girl time', she'd try and force Raven to hang out with her, right?"

Beast Boy didn't respond.

"Point is," Cyborg ignored his lack of comment, "we all got different relationships. Right now, if you got a problem, you can go to any of us. Maybe you want to talk to me about it, or Star, or whoever - but in the future, it's just that you probably _want_ to talk to Raven about things before us, or instead of us, you know? Not just 'cause she says you _have_ to."

Beast Boy raised his gaze to Cyborg.

"But _why_ would I _do_ that?" He asked, genuinely confused.

"I've heard somewhere that love makes you do crazy things," he smiled.

"Duuuuude..." Beast Boy grimaced.

"I'm just sayin'," Cyborg held his hands up in defense, "anyway," he got back to the original point, "whatever future you and Raven have goin' on, I think future you was ok talkin' to future Rae about it and not me. And if _our_ Raven," he said pointedly, "thinks that the future versions of y'all're right not telling us, then I think you should respect the future, _smarter_ ," Beast Boy glared, "you, and listen to her."

Cyborg didn't _really_ know what was going on. He couldn't know that future Beast Boy didn't _want_ to keep the Mark issue a secret. But Beast Boy understood what he meant. No, he totally _didn't_ want to be stuck ONLY talking to Raven about Mark - especially when it didn't even affect the present them - but if future him wanted to hold off on blabbing to Cyborg, then maybe future Raven had a good point. Whatever it was. And, whether or not it was a good thing, Beast Boy trusted himself. Usually. Maybe Raven was just doing the same.

Of course...

"You...really think we'll still get to do stuff together? After me and Raven...you know..."

"We better! Who else is gonna let me beat them in Cart Crash?"

"HEY!"

...it didn't mean Cyborg's assurances weren't still very much appreciated.


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer: No I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 44

"Ok," Robin announced as he loaded the dishes into the sink, "time to go back to the safe room."

"Uncle Ro-binnnnn," Marie whined, "I don't WANNA go to the safe room!"

"ME either," Ryan stood in solidarity with Marie, in a rare show of defiance, "I wanna go to the park!"

"Me too!" Marie cried, elated at the idea, "I wanna go on the monkey bars!"

"I wanna be a monkey ON the monkey bars!" Ryan jumped off of his chair as a chimpanzee, and Marie clapped her hands in delight.

"No one is going anywhere," Robin stated firmly, running the water and squirting some detergent on the plates, "outside the tower."

"Can we go to my room?" Marie asked.

"I wanna go to the training room!" Ryan suggested.

"NO ONE," Robin stated, more explicitly, "is going anywhere, but the SAFE ROOM."

"But I-"

"NO ONE!" He slammed his wet gloves on the counter, startling the children.

A chorus of cracking potteryware emanated from the sink, and Marie ran for Raven, clambering onto her lap and wrapping the blue cloak around her.

"Ow..."

Raven winced, muscles still very sore from spending the entire night as a cushion for two. Scratch that - three. Part of the reason her sides had been so sore was because a certain Tamaranean princess had decided to treat the trio as a teddy bear in her sleep, group hugging them into suffocation.

Robin had better not have chosen Raven for sleepover duty tonight. He'd have a LOT more to worry about than whiny children and broken dishes if he did.

"Please, boyfriend Robin," Starfire pleaded on Ryan and Marie's behalf, distracting him from Marie, "perhaps the day of the outdoors would do the good for the bumgorfs!" She patted Ryan's head with sympathy, "they have been inside for much of the time, and are in great need of the vitamin of D!"

"No," Robin walked past her, and scooped up Ryan, "they're going to the safe room. If you thought they needed vitamin D you should've made them drink their orange juice."

"Daddy-"

"NO," Robin stopped whatever request was coming.

"But-"

"I said NO," he shouted into the boy's face.

Understandably, Ryan burst into tears, and was promptly removed from Robin's arms by Starfire.

Robin didn't want to upset him. Robin didn't want to upset anyone. But the kids needed to be PROTECTED. Not coddled. They'd be happy in the short-term, sure. But in the long-term? Tomorrow, even? There was absolutely NO reason to think that Ravager couldn't infiltrate the get his hands on them.

Of course, there was no guarantee that Ravager couldn't infiltrate the tower again, and grab them right then and there - but they'd be a LOT better off in the safe room. It may not have been completely safe, especially when its inhabitants were superpowered four-year-olds prone to temper tantrums, but the whole thing was white - or was before their drawing session yesterday - and there were no hidden corners to hide in, so if Ravager got into the room and attacked, they would be see him.

Unfortunately for Robin, that was not the way Starfire saw it.

"ROBIN," she yelled, eyes glowing, "you will NOT do the shouting at Ryan!"

"I was just-"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"I-"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" She held up a green starbolt to make it clear that there would be consequences for his lack of compliance.

"Yes," he said through clenched teeth.

It bothered Robin, how little his team appreciated him. The way he painstakingly worked and fiercely fought to maintain their safety. So what if he raised his voice a little? This was WAR. And if Ryan and Marie were going to be staying indefinitely, Ravager would be the first of many, possibly more serious, problems; they had to toughen up.

Good parents protect their children, right? His mentor hadn't done a great job of that, either. But Robin would. After all, what was the point of focusing on all the other, softer skills if you weren't even able to keep your kids alive? They needed to be trained. They needed to be watched. They needed to be guarded. And the titans couldn't very well guard them if they were out playing on some silly jungle gym.

Raven couldn't have cared less where the children were today - so long as they were not physically touching her. She was impressed by Starfire's ability to love and attempt to care for Ryan and Marie, and knew that such things would be necessary at some point, if they did end up actually having the kids in the future. But right now, all Raven wanted was some distance.

"Beast Boy," Raven commanded in monotone, "it's your turn to deal with her."

"Do I have to?" He yawned.

After their talk, Beast Boy and Cyborg, in much heightened spirits, had decided to continue their evening by taking another crack at Wicked Scary, without the kids, and had stayed up into the wee hours of the morning. Beast Boy had ended up passing out on the couch. Naturally, Cyborg left him there. As a result, Beast Boy awoke with a painful crick in his neck and fingers that were cramped from clutching the controller in his sleep.

Raven responded by lifting Marie with her powers, and dropping her three feet above Beast Boy...

"AHHHHHH!"

OOMPH

...sending him crashing to the floor.

"Dude," he rubbed his head with one hand, holding Marie with the other, "so not cool."

"Just...get them to the safe room, ok?" Robin asked, ignoring Beast Boy. Then, betraying his inner softness, added, "I don't want anyone getting hurt," before leaving the room, the doors swishing shut behind him.

"Well," Raven picked up her mug and the book she'd been reading the day before, giving a quick salutory wave before heading over to the couch, "have fun boys."

"Hey!" Beast Boy cried, standing up from his crash-site, "you and Star can't just LEAVE us!"

"Hm..." Starfire tapped her chin in mock-thoughfulness, "I do not recall either of of you accompanying us when Robin declared that 'the girls'" she air-quoted, "do the watching in the room of security."

"Well," Beast Boy retorted, "Robin's a guy, right? It would be NICE if HE were ACTUALLY here babysitting WITH us."

Beast Boy folded him arms in a huff and plopped down next to Raven on the couch. She looked up from her book with disinterest.

"He watches Ryan for like ONE night and now he's all like 'I've helped enough'," Beast Boy grumbled, doing a poor impression of Robin's voice, "when Raven and me spent that night and every other night sharing a bed 'cause of Marie!"

"EVERY night?" Cyborg raised his human brow.

"Please - you were the invisible last night? I was not aware that you had snuck in to join us on the floor."

"What were you guys doing on the floor?" Beast Boy asked.

"The cuddles and the hugs and the sleeping togeth-"

"I don't wanna know," Cyborg raised his hands in defense.

He knew they probably had just passed out on the floor, but without having been there, and having seen what Raven dealt with when sleeping in Starfire's room the other morning, his brain was visualizing something he REALLY had no interest in imagining.

Beast Boy's comment, however, he needed to circle back to.

"But I DO wanna know what you mean about you and Rae. I thought you guys were watchin' the kids the other night? Were y'all just gettin' cozy?" He pointed from Raven to Beast Boy and back again, accusing them as if THEY were the kids caught misbehaving.

Raven shut her book loudly, and marched up to Cyborg, menacingly thrusting a clenched fist in front of his face.

"ONE: The floor is VERY uncomfortable in Beast Boy's room. It made NO SENSE for us to both be stuck on the floor. TWO: Marie kept waking up when I tried to leave. THREE: It's NONE of your business where Beast Boy and I sleep," she raised a finger with each point.

Just because they LIVED together didn't mean everyone HAD to know where everyone else was at every second of every day. Raven valued her privacy. Though apparently Cyborg was proving to be unfamiliar with the concept.

"I know THAT," Cybort waved her off, "y'all couldn't stop complainin' about it," he reminded her, "I'm askin' about the night BEFORE last night. When Robin and Ryan had their sleepover, I thought BB was sleepin' in Te-" he shot a look at Beast Boy, wondering if his assumption was going to somehow belittle the room's significance to him, "in the OTHER room," he ammended, "why was RAVEN there?"

Beast Boy shifted uncomfortably, eyes glued to Raven as if asking for her approval as he tried to formulate a response.

"She...uh...Marie was...I mean...um...we...she...I needed-"

"Marie was shouting in her sleep," Raven answered for him, "and he dragged me out of my room to help calm her down. It took a while, and we all just passed out. As you can see," Raven gestured to the assembled group, "we're all pretty exhausted. Forgive me for falling asleep in another room."

"Heh," Cyborg let out a guilty chuckle, "uh, sorry about that. I just thought..." he trailed off under the harsh fire of Raven's glare, "...nothing!"

"That's right!" Beast Boy called smugly, leaping over the couch and flinging an arm around an annoyed Raven, "'cause there's absolutely NOTHING going on with me and Rae!"

"There's about to be a murder investigation if you keep touching me."

"Hehe," Beast Boy removed his arm, "see?"

Cybort frowned. On the one hand, the story made sense. It wasn't like BB and Rae were ACTUALLY having some secret affair while they were all dealing with everything. But something about the terror in Beast Boy's eyes as he tried and failed to come up with a response made Cyborg wonder.

"Oh, friends," Starfire flew to Raven and Beast Boy and enveloped them in a strong and unwanted hug, "I possessed none of the clues that you were in need of the rest! I had though we had all had the pleasant shlorvax I enjoyed whilst Robin was with Ryan, but I see now that I was mistaken! Please," she gestured to herself and Cyborg, "allow us to do the watching of the bumgorfs for the day. Cyborg has done VERY LITTLE," she shot him a look and Cyborg shrugged, admitting his lack of assistance, "and I feel most rejuvinated. Would this be acceptable?"

"Uh..."

"Whatever floats your boat," Raven replied in monotone.

"Glorious!" Starfire clasped her hands together and spun in the air, "worry not about the children - they will be in good hands!"

"Great," Raven deadpanned.

"Thanks Star," Beast Boy smiled.

Though he was very appreciative of being let off the hook, something about the way Starfire's eyes shone made him feel like letting him and Raven 'rest' wasn't her REAL motive.

"Come, children," Starfire hurried them along, all but pushing them out the door, "we shall have much of the fun with Uncle Cyborg!"

"Can we play 'robo-breaker'?" Marie asked, trailing after Starfire.

"Of course!"

"Not if it means takin' me apart you're not."

"But Uncle Cyyyy..."

The voices of the foursome died out as they traveled down the hall, and once the last footstep faded into silence, Beast Boy turned to Raven.

"Raven?" Beast Boy asked, "what's Star UP to?"

"She obviously thinks Cyborg was right."

Beast Boy's expression grew horrified.

"What?! No?!" Then, realizing that he might offend, "Sorry! Not that I-or someone else-I mean-"

"Whatever," Raven rolled her eyes, "we've had this discussion already."

Beast Boy sighed. That fact didn't make it any less uncomfortable, though.

"So," he plopped down next to Raven, interrupting her reading yet again, "should we talk about Mark? Or-"

"You said you didn't want to talk about it."

"I still don't get why we need to talk about something that hasn't even happened yet-"

"WON'T happen."

"But if we WERE gonna talk about it, we should probably do it now, right? 'Cause we probably won't get to be alone again for a while," then, partially for comedic effect and partially in resignation, said, "or ever."

Raven paused before responding, then closed her book once again.

"Fine."

She narrowed her eyes, scanning the room for anyone who might have somehow snuck back in, then, without warning, grabbed Beast Boy in a cover of black and transported them into her room so that they landed on her bed. Well, RAVEN landed on her bed.

OOMPH

"Haven't you thrown me around enough today?!" Beast Boy cried, holding onto the mattress for support until his head stopped spinning, then hauled himself up into a seated position across from Raven.

"Oops." She said it in deadpan, but she had honestly just misjudged the location of her new bed. There was no need to admit that though.

"So," Beast Boy started, "what do you wanna ta-"

"Robin," Raven answered before he could finish.

Of COURSE she wanted to talk about HIM. Even in the future the guy couldn't give him a break.

"Ugh, FINE," Beast Boy groaned, throwing himself onto his back,"why do you think he'll even CARE?"

"I don't know," Raven admitted, "and I'm not sure how we can figure it out if we don't ask for his opinion on what it COULD be. We don't even know if he WOULD try and make us get rid of Mark in the future. All we know is that I think he will and you don't."

"Are you SURE you don't want to just ask him?" Beast Boy suggested, "what's the worst that could happen? It's not like he can do anything about it now."

"No," Raven stated firmly, "we're not asking him."

"But why-"

"In case you haven't noticed, Robin's on the verge of a Slade-level breakdown," Raven cut him off, "we don't know how Ravager managed to download Cyborg's memories or broke into the tower, or what he's planning next, Ryan and Marie need to be watched constantly, we still don't know how or why they got here or how to send them back - the LAST thing Robin needs is another problem to push him over the edge."

"But," Beast Boy reiterated, "Mark isn't a problem he can deal with right now."

Raven looked at him meaningfully.

"You know that doesn't mean that he won't try."

"Well...WHAT then?!" Beast Boy cried, hitting the mattress with his palms, "why are we even doing this?!" He flung himself onto his stomach.

Beast Boy wanted to be a contributing member of the conversation. He WAS the one that suggested they talk now, while no one was around to overhear anything. But he honestly didn't know exactly WHAT answer they were looking for.

"Trust Raven", Cyborg said, "listen to your future self," blah blah blah," - was he supposed to just PRETEND that he and Raven were the not-so-happily, happily married couple from the future that said and did stuff that was just between _them_? He and Raven barely EVER had anything they talked about without the others. Sometimes they talked when other people weren't around, but it wasn't like they _couldn't_ tell anyone else. It just wasn't really anyone else's business what he and Raven talked about on the rocks, after he thought the Beast had hurt her, or what he'd said to her after the whole Malchior thing - and even for the less intense stuff, it wasn't like he HAD to report that she was the one that suggested he get a job to buy his dream moped, or that she'd made fun of him for the billionth time for telling her an awesome joke she didn't appreciate. Was that kind of the same thing Cyborg was talking about?

"What do you think would be serious enough to make Robin want to get rid of Mark?"

Beast Boy's attention snapped back to Raven.

"Um..." Beast Boy picked himself up and resumed his earlier position across from her, "I thought you said it could be because you were dangerous when you had Marie?"

"I did," Raven affirmed, "but I'm not sure."

"I mean, you said it wasn't 'cause Robin didn't want any more kids in the tower, or that Mark was dangerous. You know, since Marie and Ryan are kind of the same."

"I know what I said," Raven snapped, "but there HAS to be another reason."

Beast Boy's looked away as he thought about it. However, upon doing so, his mind returned to his earlier musings.

He guessed he _did_ have things he and Raven didn't broadcast. Not secrets, exactly, but interactions that went unnoticed by the rest of he team, that neither felt the need to bring attention to. Like how Raven and Beast Boy always had each other's backs in battle, moreso than anyone else, and how Beast Boy probably tried to include Raven more than anyone else on the team did - things anyone could see, if they cared to look closer.

But the thing was, Robin wasn't super observant. He totally was when it mattered, obviously. But otherwise? Robin was totally oblivious. He didn't get how much Starfire had liked him, or how his words affected her. He didn't see things the way the rest of the team did, or try to. If there wasn't something directly impacting their safety, he wasn't going to pick apart every single thing they did. Arguably, Starfire and Cyborg were much more socially aware.

Starfire was the one who noted the rek-whatever-thing happening when everyone else thought was just stupid roommate drama, before she went into that other version of the future where none of them were friends anymore, and Cyborg was always telling him to apologize and stuff when he said or did something that Cyborg could tell wasn't taken well. Even if he didn't pick up on things like that, Robin still had eyes, so if Raven's stomach was huge 'cause there was a little dude inside, then Robin would definitely have noticed. So that meant that Mark wasn't popping out any time soon, in Marie's time period.

But future Robin was married to future Starfire, and was friends with future Cyborg, so if either of them were paying close attention, they probably would have guessed something was up, and shared it with Robin or asked Beast Boy or Raven about it. Right? That's how things went now, so why would they be any different later? And if that was true, then...that meant NO ONE knew.

"What if," Beast Boy suggested, looking Raven in the eyes, "it's not just Robin? What if future you doesn't want to tell _anyone_?"

Raven cocked her head, curious as to where he was going with his line of supposition.

"If there's something super important happening with a mission, we go to Robin first, right?" Beast Boy continued, "and if we want permission or something, he makes the final decision...which is _totally_ unfair, becau-"

Raven shot him a death glare for his attempted tangent, and he laughed awkwardly.

"Heh...anyway," he started up again, "I think maybe you don't want ANYONE on the team finding out about Mark, and I just want to talk to Robin about it."

"Why Robin over Cyborg?" Raven asked, well aware of the various bonds between her teammates. Cyborg and Beast Boy's being stronger than Beast Boy and Robin's.

"Marie said that you wanted to leave, right?" Beast Boy reminded her, "and we'd only have a limited time before everyone noticed. So what if future me agreed, but just wanted to give Robin a heads up?"

"What Marie _heard_ ," Raven corrected him, "was that I said I wanted to leave, and you said you DIDN'T. That's not agreeing."

"Yeah, yeah," Beast Boy waved off her statement, "but if we were talking about it, and I didn't just go tell everybody, then I probably _care_ about keeping Team Logan together!"

Raven rolled her eyes at his use of the term.

"Great. That doesn't mean we came to an agreement though."

"Newsflash, Rae," Beast Boy waved his hand in front of her face, "you're kind of the most stubborn person I know."

Raven glared at him but allowed him to continue.

"So there's NO way you decided it was cool for us to talk to Robin. But, as a committed member of Team Logan, I was super heroic and sacrifice-y and decided to let you win."

"I don't know," Raven said, "it just sounds like you're..." What was that word Cyborg used? "whipped," she smirked.

"Hey!" Beast Boy cried, "I am NOT!"

"You said it, not me."

"I did NOT!"

"So, whip-boy," Beast Boy scowled at the nick name, "let's say you're right, and for some reason I wanted to hide Mark from the team, and you agreed to leave with me. Why wouldn't future you recognize that telling Robin is the SAME as telling everyone ELSE?"

"I said future me probably wanted to let him know he was down two titans. Not about Mark."

Hm. She supposed that _was_ a possibility. Beast Boy had proven his leadership ability on multiple occasions, and had been raised by Mento, who made everyone around him _acutely_ aware of how greatly they had inconvenienced him just by being in his vicinity. It made sense that Beast Boy would be concerned about Robin waking up to find that his team had shrunk to half its original size overnight. Raven was not concerned with these things. The world's population was going to be zero after the eve of her birthday, and she had actively tried _not_ to tell anyone. It still boggled her that her future self apparently wanted to spend the rest of her life with someone so incredibly different from her. Contrary to popular belief, Raven was fairly certain that opposites do _not_ attract. Unless they're polarized metal, of course.

"Fine," Raven consented, "but that still doesn't explain _why_ Mark needs to be a secret in the first place."

"But it _does_ mean that you're not going to be able to leave me and Marie!" He grinned, "you're stuck with us."

Raven was about to bite back with a scathing insult and claim that she would _never_ abandon Marie...but she couldn't. With Melvin, Timmy, and Teether, she had offered to stay with them for fear that they had no one else there to adequately protect them. It was life or death. It was _survival_. Now that the apocalypse had been avoided, Raven had no interest in ever being the reason for an innocent person's demise. But Marie had Beast Boy. So if Raven had made up her mind to leave, and Beast boy wasn't coming...why _wouldn't_ she leave Marie with him? He _was_ the favorite parent, after all.

Of course, Raven hoped that if she had intentionally had a child, she would at least attempt to be a little more invested in being a part of their life, but current Raven was _not_ future Raven, and thus, she could not definitively say that she would ever be anything other than what she was that very moment; a teenager who was equal parts ready to send Beast Boy to another dimension for his continued annoyingness, and in need of answers, however vague and conjectural they may have been.

"Stop _saying_ I'm going to leave Marie," she finally replied, making her desires known without giving any contradictory evidence.

Beast Boy didn't press the matter. Instead, he said something that caught Raven off-guard.

"Hey, Raven? Do you think...maybe you wanted to try and be, you know, _normal_?"

"...normal?" Raven asked, "like Terra?"

"I...wouldn't really call her that..."

Beast Boy's gaze turned towards the bay outside the window, as if expecting Terra to appear atop a boulder, propositioning him for another evening at that abandoned carnival. He felt Raven's eyes on him, and forced himself to focus back on the conversation.

"I just meant...if it _is_ her, like you keep saying, she's hiding her powers and pretending to be a regular human. That's what you meant, right?" Raven clarified, realizing the unintended discomfort her words had caused.

"Um...yeah..."

Beast Boy swallowed, trying his best to push his thoughts of the blonde girl to the side. This conversation wasn't about _her_ , after all.

"It's possible," Raven leaned back, her palms supporting the weight of her torso, "if we took Cyborg's holorings. Marie wouldn't even need one."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, "if she hadn't called me 'Daddy' the first time I saw her, I would'a thought she was just a normal kid."

"That would've been nice," Raven deadpanned, "maybe then the tower would've lasted longer."

Beast Boy smiled halfheartedly.

"If we wanted to hide Mark like that, wouldn't we need to get him a holoring, though?" Raven stood up from the bed, pacing around her room as she thought aloud, "he wasn't born yet, which means we'd have to tell Cyborg at some point in order to get one, right? Though, I assume we would have planned everything in advance - you probably would have stolen another set of rings or something."

"So," Beast Boy asked, all but out of the blue, "whaddaya think he'll look like?"

Raven stopped walking.

"Who?"

"Mark," Beast Boy shifted so his legs dangled off of the bed, and gestured at the wall across from him, as if he was in front of a giant screen with a blown-up picture of their future child.

"I mean, he's totally gonna be green. But who do you think he'll LOOK like? Marie and Ryan kind of take after you and Starfire - but I want one that looks like ME, not just 'Beast Boy'," he smiled, "like a REAL mini-me!"

"It's a shame we couldn't just have cloned you."

"I know, right?"

Beast Boy smiled, but then some inner sadness overtook him, and he turned back to the imaginary screen. However deep the pain was, his guard was up, and Raven felt nothing but the discomfort from knowing that she should be.

"Cyborg said something about Marie and Ryan maybe being clones last night," Beast Boy turned to her, "do you think..."

It _would_ explain the bizarre family situation their future selves faced. But Raven couldn't imagine Robin relinquishing his parental rights in the kind of situation. Not to mention the fact that, as powerful as Marie was, she was certainly no more powerful than Raven. It would have been easier to just clone Raven, without the added DNA. A case could be made for Ryan, but as the facts stood, it was more likely that Starfire and Robin had fertility issues that Beast Boy was able, and lucky for them, willing, to help solve.

Raven shook her head, "I don't think so."

"Yeah," he looked away again, "me either."

They sat in silence for a moment.

Was this _really_ what Beast Boy wanted to do? Conjecture about things that were wholly unimportant to Raven's main perogative of keeping their future team TOGETHER? They had no idea how long it would be before the alarm went off or there was some child-related emergency. Who cared what Mark would look like? They'd just get the kid a holoring and move on.

"I just...kinda hoped I'd have a little blonde kid that looked like me," he smiled sadly, "but I guess that's not happening, is it?"

Oh. So that was it. Raven eyed him from the side as he stared into space.

She was WELL on the other side of the spectrum. She had hoped to never even _have_ children. The fact that she actually continued Trigon's line instead of ending it like she should have, was all but unfathomable to her. When she looked at Marie, coloring aside, Raven saw a face far too much like her own. A face reminiscent of the person who was meant to help destroy the world. A face borne from an act of aggression, unloved, and unwanted. That Beast Boy would WANT someone to inherit any part of him was a completely foreign concept.

Still - could Raven deny the pride Starfire showed whenever Ryan exhibited one of his Tamaranean abilities? The way he stomached his glorg? How he threw his little starbolts? Even Beast Boy seemed to enjoy the way Ryan morphed with him. Robin kept trying to convince Marie of her latent combat skills, clearly not accepting that it was learned rather than inherited trait. But Raven felt sheer terror every time Marie used ANY of her powers. Her muscles tensed, and it took all of her willpower not to shut Marie up in a black bubble and not let her out.

Still, Beast Boy's desire made sense, if her teammates were any indication. He wanted a kid he could connect with, and visual connections are the easiest to spot. However, there were things that he had overlooked.

"From what I know about genetics," Raven moved towards Beast Boy, and gently seated herself beside him, "I would say that there's a certain percent chance that Mark will have any given feature from either one of us."

Beast Boy listened intently.

"Look at Marie," Raven brought up the daughter that they had already had the _pleasure_ of meeting, "she's half me and half Robin, right? It's obvious that she has Robin's coloring, and her face looks more or less like mine. But," she continued, noting Beast Boy's displeasure at her mention that colors were the only genetic contribution from Marie's biological father, "she's stubborn, and demanding, and you've seen the way she orders Ryan around - if those traits aren't from Robin, then I don't know where they came from."

"You're super stubborn," Beast Boy stated, then gulped as Raven glared in response, "just sometimes!"

"My POINT," she continued, "is that there's a lot more than looks that a parent passes down. So if Mark looks like a green version of me," Raven said meaningfully, "that doesn't mean that he's not going to be like you INSIDE."

"I guess..." Beast Boy sighed, clearly dissatisfied.

"And if you think LOOKS are the only thing that matter," Raven continued, "then you're not the person I thought you were."

He winced at the more personal attack, and rubbed his neck.

Raven cringed internally. The statement was said with a more of venom than was necessary, but, to be honest, it was meant just as much for Raven as it was for Beast Boy.

"You're right," he conceded, "but a guy can dream, right?"

"Technically, I suppose we all can."

Beast Boy grinned, his earlier lightheartedness slowly trickling back in.

"If we're REALLY lucky," he added, "he'll look like BOTH of us. I think your ears would look REALLY good with my eyes," he joked.

"I'm sure."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

In retrospect, maybe letting Starfire take the lead wasn't such a good call.

"Uncle Cy!"

"It's Uncle _Vic_ , remember?" Cyborg emphasized.

"Sorry Uncle Cy-Vic!" Ryan clapped his hands over his mouth, both in an effort to show that he regretted his mistake and to cover the laughter from the joy and whimsy of using code names.

"It's ok," Cyborg sighed, tousling the boy's black hair, "just...try to be more careful."

"I will!" Ryan declared.

"RYAN!" Marie hollered, "come play tea party with me and Aunt Kori!"

She smiled smugly at her use of the correct code name, said loudly with the express intention of provoking Ryan by proving her superiority. But Ryan was oblivious, as usual. Marie allowed herself a small frown. She hoped, one day, she'd be able to communicate with him the way her parents did with each other. He just had to learn how to recognize a more nuanced insult first.

"Ok!"

Ryan rushed over to the picnic his mother had prepared, complete with the 'blanket of red and white checkers' she had so vehemently insisted on. Apparently an Earthen picnic was invalid if one did not possess the essential blanket and accompanying basket of woven branches used to hold food and beverages. The beverages supplied consisted completely of mustard, but that was to be expected.

"Aunt Kori," Marie tried, once more, to rile Ryan, "my tea won't pour!"

She shook the plastic teapot Starfire had allowed the children to purchase on their walk over from where they parked the disguised T-car.

"Hm," Starfire took the container from the girl, inspecting its contents, "it appears as though the mustard is too thick to move quickly through the spout of pouring."

"Do we have ketchup?" Marie asked, peeking into the basket, "ketchup is watery."

She remembered an occasion a few months prior when she had knocked a bottle onto her mother, who was _not_ thrilled to be covered in what appeared to be a bloody shower of tomato water. The situation was made funnier, in Marie's opinion, and embarrassing, in Raven's when Beast Boy had turned into a dog and started licking it off of her.

"Ketchup?" Starfire asked, truly confused, "who would choose the ketchup over the mustard? It lacks the flavor and the goodness!" Starfire extended her lizardlike tongue into the teapot and empties its contents, "however," she swallowed, "I did bring the water and the boxes of juice," also purchased on the way to the park, "so perhaps we might attempt the party of tea with those instead?"

"Uncle C-Vic!" Ryan called, while Marie rolled her eyes, "come play with us!"

Cyborg took another glance around the park before walking over.

This was a bad idea. He _knew_ letting the kids hang out _outside_ the safe room was risky. But they'd been stuck in there all night, and Starfire was getting antsy, so they'd let them go back to the common room for a while to play video games, but then Starfire kept staring out the window and talking about how it was 'such a pleasant day full of the possibilities and the sun' and a variety of other things that Cyborg didn't find particularly convincing until the subject of grilling meat was brought up, and at that point his stomach had done the thinking.

So there they were, in complete defiance of Robin's orders and Cyborg's better sense, with a packet of hot dogs in the picnic basket waiting to be grilled. The whole 'purchasing of toys and children's beverages' was Starfire's idea. One of the kids had mentioned having apple juice boxes at the park, and Starfire had been intrigued, which had led to a rather lengthy shopping trip that Cyborg had to cut short when Ryan and Marie started fighting over a bouncy ball one of them had found on the floor. Cyborg had promptly told them it was a choking hazard and thrown it away. Neither was pleased, and it took the purchasing of a plastic teaset to calm them.

"Have some tea!" Marie slammed a cup of juice at him, which seemed to have a bit of leftover mustard at te bottom.

"Looks great!"

He forced himself to smile, before pretending to sip and then dumping the contents behind him.

He wasn't sure how long they had before Robin realized they were gone. Starfire seemed blissfully unconcerned, but whether that was because she was dating the boy-wonder or because she honestly thought he'd be working in the evidence room for the next twelve hours was unclear.

"Have some sugar!" Ryan generously sprinkled what appeared to be dirt ripped from the ground next to their blanket, into Cyborg's empty cup, "oh, you finished your tea already!" Ryan exclaimed, "Marie! Uncle Cy needs more tea!"

"Here you go, Uncle _Vic_ ," she shot a look at Ryan, who grinned broadly back.

Cyborg grimaced as mustard was poured from a new teapot that looked exactly like the new bottle of mustard Starfire had purchased, into his cup.

"Have a sip!" Ryan suggested.

"I'm ok."

"You _need_ to have a sip," Ryan informed him, "it't a TEA party. Everyone has to DRINK TEA."

"That's _not_ tea," Cyborg pointed at the dirty yelloy blob.

"Yes it IS," Ryan's eyes glowed beneath his hologram.

"Ok, ok!" Cyborg picked up the cup and made an exaggerated slurping noise, then faked a burp, "that was great!"

Marie watched skeptically as he put the cup down.

"It's still full," Marie stated.

"I just took a sip," Cyborg covered.

"No you DIDN'T," Marie cried, "you need to DRINK IT!"

Cyborg watched as the picnic basket turned black, and threatened to destroy both itself and their cover. He shifted his gaze back to the contents of his cup. It was time for some damage control. On the bright side, whatever punishment Robin had in mind once he found out about their little escapade couldn't be much worse than this.

Cyborg took a deep breath, and lifted the cup to his mouth, Marie looking on in malicious glee.

What Marie _wasn't_ looking at, however, was the group of shadowy figures on the edges of the park, inching ever closer to the playground.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Ravager slammed her hand down on the desk, cracking the surface.

Unlike the titans, Ravager _had_ seen the looming threat, through her computer's analysis of the reflections from the metal of the jungle gym and Marie's eyes as Cyborg drank some filth not fit for human consumption. Ravager would have loved to have sat back and admired the way Marie relished her little victory. Torturing Cyborg with a mixture that could scarcely cause a stomach ache. Under Ravager's tutelage, Marie would be able to brew the rarest and deadliest of poisons, the kind that took only a single drop to achieve that which they were created for. Ravager was going to have such wonderful fun with that one. And those little fits of rage and malice... They didn't appear to happen often, but that was to be expected when one was in the company of self-righteous heroes. It was such a pity. Marie could accomplish great things, under the right supervision.

But it appeared that the titans were failing in even the most basic definition of the term. The _idiots_ \- for sheer idiocy was the only thing it could be called - took two superpowered children out into the open. They hadn't even alerted the other members of their team, however little help they may have been. And they were spending their time catering to the whims of _toddlers_! Eating dirt while true threats existed in the periphery of their vision! Cyborg, at the very least, should have been able to sense the movement. Perhaps that robotic brain of his was in need of an upgrade. Perhaps, at some point, Ravager could oblige him.

However, at the present moment, Ravager had to clean up what anyone, even those in possession of a single eye, could see; that a quintet of teenaged villains were about to threaten _her_ prizes. And no one touched Ravager's things without her permission.

Even those she had yet to possess.


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 45

BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEP

By the time Beast Boy and Raven shot up from her bed, and ran through the door to the main ops room, Robin had already pulled up a description of the disturbance, and had honed in on its location on the screen.

"Where're Starfire and Cyborg?" He demanded, turning accusatorily towards the newcomers.

"I don't know," Beast Boy responded.

"The last time we saw them they were taking the kids to the safe room," Raven informed him.

"Fine," he accepted, "there's no time - we'll just have to deal with the Hive without them."

"The Hive Five?!" Beast Boy objected, "but there's FIVE of them!"

"Better pay attention then," Robin quipped, "Titans, GO!"

"Ughhhhh," Beast Boy groaned, as his two teammates sped past him, not noticing his torso slowly becoming encompassed by Raven's powers, "this is SO not fa-AHHHH!" and was then dragged mercilessly after them.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Star, NO!" Cyborg grabbed the Tamaranean's arm, causing her to distinguish the starbolt she was wielding, "you can't do that!"

"The Hive Five are attacking - we must engage in combat!"

 _"_ Regular humans spending a day with their family DO NOT engage in combat," Cyborg whispered aggressively, "leave it to the superheroes."

"But we _are_ the su-"

Cyborg slapped a hand against her mouth.

"Not _today_ ," he gestured at his non-cybernetic body, "what we need to do is grab the kids and run, just like everybody else," he paused as a shrieking woman carrying a baby ran through the remnants of their trampled picnic, knocking over the last cup of mustard-tea, then turned back to Starfire, "can you do that, _Kori_?"

Starfire nodded.

"I'm sure the rest of the team can handle it," Cyborg smiled reassuringly, "they got this. And _we_ , got Marie and Ry-huh?"

Cyborg swiveled from left to right.

"Please...were the children NOT just on the blanket of picnics?"

The teens stood up, Cyborg grabbing Starfire's arm again to prevent her from flying off in search of them.

"Ryan!"

"Marie!"

"Guys! Where'd you go?!" Cyborg scanned the area with his robotic eye, and spotted two figures still on the jungle gym, "over there!"

BOOM

Mammoth landed in front of them, creating a crater in the ground, and a tremor that caused the two titans to fall onto their backs.

"Sorry," Jinx stepped out from behind him, arms folded, "jungle gym's closed. But," she unfolded her arms, "it looks like there's a jewelry store still open."

Jinx grabbed Starfire's hand, examining the holoring on her finger.

"Hope you don't mind me borrowing this," she started pulling the ring off, but Starfire clenched her fist.

"Is this thing glued on?!" She struggled, using all of her body weight to attempt to remove her newfound treasure, "GIZMO!" She called over her shoulder, "get over here!"

"What?!" He retracted his metal spider legs into the apparatus on his back, and laned on the ground beside her.

"Do you have anything in there to help me get this off?"

"You gotta be kidding me," Gizmo growled, "I'm not using my weapons to help you steal some cake-sniffer's jewelry."

"You were...happy...to help...BEFORE," Jinx panted.

"Those were diamonds!" He defended himself, "that's just a hunk of metal!"

Cyborg tried to restrain himself from blasting the little runt across the park. Hunk of metal?! He'd like to see _Gizmo_ try to program an entire camoflauge hologram into a single set of rings.

"I _like_ it," Jinx stated, finally turning to Mammoth, "you wanna give it a try?"

Mammoth shook his head.

"You're both useless," she shook her head, then focused back on Starfire, "looks like it's time for a little bad luck then."

Cyborg wasn't sure exactly what Jinx was going to do, but the way she was aiming her free hand at Starfire's wrist made him question whether or not she intended to slice it off with her powers. Regular human or not, he wasn't about to let _that_ happen.

As Jinx pulled her arm back, about to fire, Cyborg jumped up and tackled her to the ground, freeing Starfire.

"GO GET THE KIDS!" He yelled after her, and, by way of reminder, clarified, "RUN!"

"Huh..." Jinx regained consciousness after her collision with thr ground, and found a face _very_ close to her own.

Cyborg, feeling her fidgeting beneath his hands, looked down.

Their eyes connected, and Jinx squinted, eyes roaming the curves of his faux skin.

"You ok?"

Cyborg didn't usually inquire about his opponents' wellbeing, but his intention was never to permanently harm anyone. And Jinx looked _really_ disoriented.

"Jinx?"

He leaned in a little closer, trying to determine whether she might have had a concussion based upon the size of her pupils.

The girl's eyes widened.

"...Stone?"

Cyborg's mouth dropped, but before he could respond, Mammoth slammed into them, throwing Cyborg a few yards away.

The green mastodon responsible morphed back into a teenage boy.

"Guess the best mammoth won, right Rae?" He smiled smugly at the girl floating above him.

"ARGH!" Mammoth barrelled into him, attacking with force.

"Apparently not."

"Hey, little lady," Billy scolded, grabbing Raven's attention, "it ain't polite to stay up there when we're all down here!"

"It's okay, Billy," another clone assured him, "we'll get'r down!"

Before Raven could levitate high enough, a wave of Billys climbing onto each other's shoulders crashed into her, sending her tumbling out of the air. However, instead of smashing into the grass, Raven was caught in strong, metallic-feeling arms.

"I gotcha," Cyborg smiled.

Raven moved to say something, most likely 'thanks', but then her expression morphed into a death glare..

"You took the kids _out_ of the TOWER?!" She seethed.

"Hey!" Cyborg let her down, "it was Star's i-"

"Raven, look out!" Robin warned, just in time for her and Cyborg to avoid the eyeball-bomb See-More had shot in their direction.

"GO!" Raven shouted across the newly-formed crater, "get out of here!"

Cyborg nodded and started sprinting towards the jungle gym.

"Hey, Kori?!" Cyborg cried, racing around the structure, "where are you?"

"Ryan!" He heard from around the slides, "you will please do the getting of down now!"

"I don't wanna," Ryan responded, "I'm a monkey! Monkey's HAVE to be on the monkey bars."

"You are most certainly NOT the monkey!" Starfire said forcefully.

"That's just 'cause you said I can't morph when we're at the park. But there's a monkey INSIDE me," he swung his body as he gripped one of the middle bars, "OO-OO! AH-AH!"

Marie laughed merrily.

"Aren't you guys scared?" Cyborg asked, "y'all could get crushed by these guys!"

"That's why we have _training_ ," Marie rolled her eyes, "DUH."

"Well, _I'm_ scared FOR you!" Cyborg declared, "we gotta get you out of here," he grabbed Marie with one hand and tugged on Ryan's foot with the other, "don't make me pull you down."

"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!"

Raven shoved away a horde of Billys headed for the playground.

"I told you to GO!" Raven yelled, glaring at her friends.

"We're trying!"

"Friend Raven, look out!"

Raven turned her head just in time to have a green kangaroo collide with her.

"Ow..." Beast Boy held a hand to his head.

"Get. OFF."

"Oh, hehe," Beast Boy stood up, holding a hand out to help Raven up, "sorry about that."

"Get a room," Cyborg smirked.

"Cy?" Beast Boy furrowed his brow, looking at his disguised companions, "why're you-AHHHH!"

Beast Boy jumped back as Raven created a shield to protect them from See-More's eyeball attack.

Unfortunately, Mammoth chose that exact time to plunge into the force field, causing it to fracture, and throwing Raven to the ground.

"Raven!"

"Hey, barf-brains!" Gizmo taunted from above them, boasting a jet-pack and metal mini-bombs that he was clearly about to pelt Beast Boy with, "get a load a _this_!"

"Hyahhh!" Robin leapt into the air, using his added height to release a bird-a-rang that sliced through the rockets on Gizmo's back.

"AHHHHHHH!"

The boy genius landed next to the remnants of his jet-pack, and a pungent liquid seeped out of it, leaking under the monkey bars.

"You stupid nose-picker!" Gizmo cursed, examining the remnants of his gear, "you just wasted two hundred bucks of rocket fuel!"

"It's not like you paid for it," Raven responded as she threw Mammoth back with her powers.

"Aww, ain't that a shame Billy?"

"I sure think it is, Billy."

"Me too, Billy!"

"Me three, Billy!"

"ARGH!" Another few Billys dove out of the way as Robin attempted to hit them with exploding disks.

"ARGHHHH!"

Mammoth jumped out from behind the Billys, and Beast Boy dodged just in time to avoid his fist. Cyborg watched as he morphed into a triceritops and started wrestling Mammoth with his horns. This wasn't looking good. It had been hard enough to fight the Hive Five with four titans - three was proving near impossible.

"Hey, _Stone_ ," Cyborg turned to the voice of the now-recovered villainess, "done playing dress-up yet?"

She sent a barrage of bad luck his way, and he barely managed to avoid it while keeping Marie safely behind him. So far, most of the fighting near the playground had taken place on the ground, so Cyborg lifted Marie up towards the monkey bars and told her to sit on the edge.

"But I thought you said-"

"I know what I said," Cyborg cut her off, "but right now I'm tellin' you to stay up there with Ryan, ok?"

"Ok," Marie reached up and grabbed onto the ledge, hoisting herself up to sit on the side.

"Welcome to monkey-land!" He smiled.

Cyborg shook his head. Leave it to a child of Beast Boy's to be so ridiculously goofy in the middle of a battle.

"Star", he addressed Kori, "the team needs us."

"But I do not wish to leave-"

"They'll be fine!" Cyborg insisted, "we-"

BOOM

Another blast from See-More's eye missed the jungle gym by two feet.

"We'll keep them away from the kids, ok?"

Starfire looked back at Marie and Ryan hesitantly.

"ARGHHHH!"

Her gaze shot to Robin as he growled in battle with a legion of Billys. Cyborg was right. The Hive Five had FAR more than five members with Billy. The odds were not in their favor if she and Cyborg didn't intervene.

"Very well," she took off her rings and pocketed them, "let us engage."

RIIIIIIIIIPPPPPP

The ground creaked beneath them as Mammoth ripped up a large tree, and tried his best to hit Beast Boy with it.

"Eek!"

Beast Boy transformed into a mole, and dug himself into the ground to avoid it, while Raven took charge and encased the tree in black.

"Raven," Jinx chastized, distracted, for a moment, from Stone and that family he was with, "it's not nice to take other people's things."

She shot some bad luck at the middle of the trunk, causing the tree to split in half, and sending Raven and Mammoth flying in different directions.

"Hey," Mammoth complianed, "you should've warned me."

Jinx shrugged.

"What's the fun in that?"

PING PING PING

The two looked up to see Starfire hovering above them, spraying them with starbolts.

"Look who decided to join the party," Jinx noted sardonically, cartwheeling out of the way while Mammoth ran after her.

Starfire continued her assault, intending to get them as far from the children as possible.

"Starfire?" Robin looked away for a second, but it was enough time for the Billys to gain the upper hand, forming a barrier around him.

"We got him now, Billy!"

"Sure do, Billy!"

"He ain't goin' anywhere now, Billy!"

"Oh yeah?" Cyborg blasted his way through the ring, catching Billy off-guard so that the number of copies lessened.

Robin wasted no time in shooting his grappling hook around around the remaining boys, constricting them so that they couldn't duplicate.

"Ow Billy - you're crusin' me!"

" _You're_ crushin' ME, Billy!"

The clones continued to bicker while Robin turned his attention to Cyborg.

"If you and Star are here, then where are the-"

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Beast Boy ran past them, followed by See-More's eye-beams, followed by See-More.

"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!"

Raven attempted to blast See-More with her powers, but he jumped aside, so Beast Boy was knocked out instead, then turned at shot an entrapment ball at her, encasing her in the impenetrable bubble.

OOMPH

Mammoth crushed Starfire into the ground, pinning her down despite her Tamaranean strength.

"STARFIRE!" Robin ran towards her, only to be tripped by Jinx's bad luck, then encased in another entrapment bubble.

Cyborg looked from his incapacitated teammates to the jungle gym, where Marie and Ryan were still hanging on.

"It's not fair that I can't change into stuff here," Ryan complained, swinging his body.

"It's not fair that I can't EVER change into stuff," Marie countered, bitterly.

Ryan frowned at his friend's upset, then, his eyes beamed and a giant grin made it's way onto his face.

"But you CAN be!" Ryan declared, "monkeys are like people! Esept they swing with only one arm!"

Ryan demonstrated, letting his left hand fall to his side.

"An' then they swing with one at a time!" He gleefully swung from bar to the next, ending at the other end of the horizontal ladder.

"Now you try!"

Cyborg zoomed in on them with his mechanical eye. They seemed to be ok. Unlike his teammates. But would it be better to stay here and fight, or go take the kids back to the tower? Jinx had already seen through his disguise - would she realize that the kids were _with_ the titans? He looked at the kids again.

"Come on! You can do it!" Ryan encouraged the hesitant Marie, still sitting on top of the bars rather than holding onto them.

"I will!" Marie yelled over to him.

Much like Ryan, she knew she, too, was not supposed to use her powers. And even though she forgot sometimes when she was angry, for the mostpart, Marie tried her best to listen to the adults when they were outside the tower. Something about being outside the comfort of her home made it seem like being behaved was just a LITTLE more important that usual.

Though confidently outspoken and boisterous, Marie was not secure in the strength of her arms. She participated in training when she had to, but that was almost completely power-driven. Not physical in the least. And, unlike Ryan, her powers did not include super strength. So the idea of hanging from one, weak arm when she wasn't allowed to levitate was sort of...scary.

"Marieeeee," Ryan whined.

"I'm COMING!"

She shakily moved from the rim to the adjacent bar, kneeling on it. She gripped the bar on either side, wary of how far below the grass was.

"Now get down!" Ryan instructed.

Slowly, Marie scooched back, then closed her eyes, as if that would somehow make the experience less terrifying, and let her knees slide back until she could no longer feel the bar beneath her. She kept her eyes glued shut for a moment, then, realizing she was still alive, opened her eyes in disbelief.

"I did it!" She cried, grinning at Ryan.

"Now swing!" He ordered.

She obliged, but she wasn't quite strong enough to gain the momentum needed to get to the next bar, and limply hung from the one she was on.

"I'm TRYING!" She cried, frustrated, then attempted a second swing. Her hands were getting sweaty.

"You can do it!" Ryan encouraged.

This time, Marie didn't listen. The sweat was making it hard to hold on, and her arms were starting to ache from holding on.

Cyborg saw this, and made his decision. The kids had to be protected. The titans would survive if they lost _one_ battle. The diamonds the Hive Five had stoled _had_ to be insured. He started making for the jungle gym.

"Hey, Cyborg!" Jinx called, causing him to look over his shoulder, "are you feeling lucky?"

Before he could respond, Jinx leapt into the air, spinning as she released her pink powers in a circle around her.

Cyborg dove and rolled to avoid them. However, one happened to hit the metal at the base of the monkey bars towards which Cyborg was headed, creating a bright series of sparks, landing on the leaked fuel from Gizmo's jet pack. Cyborg didn't notice, but powered up his sonic canon and shot back at the pink sorceress, his back to the flames that were starting up at a rather rapid pace, considering the combination of fuel and wood left over from Mammoth's earlier tree attack.

While Cyborg went after Jinx, Marie faced another, far more serious problem. Her hands were slipping, and the heat from below was _not_ helping.

"Ahhhhh!" Marie shrieked, her right hand falling off of the bar, "Ryan!"

"Marie!" He cried, "hold on!"

He swung as fast as he could, but he was all the way on the other side of the bars, and Marie's strength gave out two bars before he reached her.

"AHHHHHHH!"

The little girl slipped, falling into the fire below.

"MARIE!" Ryan screamed, helplessly reaching out for her.

Suddenly, a blur of purple and red rushed past, catching Marie at the last possible moment.

"Marie!" Ryan climbed up on top of the bars to better see his mother clutching the sobbing Marie to her chest, while Raven followed behind, using her powers to encase the flames and starve them of oxygen.

A flood of relief rushed through him, followed by a very deep, very primal rage. The lady with the pink hair, the one that threw that stuff at Uncle Cyborg, when the fire started. She almost HURT his friend. Marie, who he loved almost as much as he love his Daddy. His BEST FRIEND. No one hurt his friends. NO ONE.

Ryan let out a gutteral howl as his muscles bulged, breaking his holoring apart, and bristly green fur erupted from his skin. His height grew threefold, his fangs lengthened, his teeth sharpened, his hands turned into claws with nails that could easily rip through flesh, and Starfire watched in horror as her sweet little bumgorf turned into the Beast, and trained his eyes on Jinx.

"GRRRRRRRRRR..."

Ryan snarled as he jumped from the bars, leaping over Raven and charging towards his intended target. She watched, mortified, as he did so. Her eyes widened, and fear pulsed through her veins as she finally understood.

Starfire stood, paralyzed, with Marie in her arms. This was it. Ryan was going to kill someone, and he was going to be found out, and all the many villains they had fought were going to come and attack the children and use them against the titans, and she was going to lose her beloved boy, and Marie.

But suddenly, from out of nowhere, something hit the ground in front of Ryan, exploding in a giant cloud of dirt and smoke, making it impossible to see. Raven, however, had seen where Ryan had landed, and encompassed him, Marie, and Starfire with her powers, transporting them back to the tower before another bomb was thrown.

"Forget the stupid diamonds - I'm getting out of here!" Gizmo declared from somewhere in the dust cloud.

Judging by the heavy vibrations as Mammoth's feet pummeled the ground, the rest of the team had followed suit.

Cyborg ran back in the direction of the jungle gym, but his mechanical eye didn't pick up on Raven, Starfire, or either of the kids' heat signatures. He did, however, pick up another, unfamiliar shape. He didn't get a clear outline from the heat signature, but as the dust cleared, he glimpsed a gloved hand disappearing behind the slides, before the mysterious figure disappeared from view.

"Cyborg!" Robin ran towards him, "where are the kids?"

"Raven must've taken them back."

Robin glared at him through his mask, and growled through clenched teeth, "I'll deal with you when we get to the tower."

"Whoa," Beast Boy came to, standing unsteadily, "dudes..." he stared wide-eyed at the damage, "what happened?"

It took all of Cyborg's willpower not to smack him.


	46. Chapter 46

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 46

"What part of 'keep the kids in the safe room' didn't you understand?!"

Ryan whimpered against Starfire's chest, and Marie buried herself further into Raven's cloak.

"Did it mean ANYTHING to you when Beast Boy took them outside alone and almost LOST them?!"

"Hey! I brought them back!" Beast Boy jumped up in protest.

"Not now, BB," Cyborg grabbed his shoulder and forced him back down as Robin glared.

"You KNOW how hard it is for them to control their powers, especially outside where someone could SEE, and-"

"They possessed much control of their powers," Starfire insisted, "it was for that reason that Marie did not do the flying when she struggled to remain above the-"

"Do NOT interrupt me again," Robin shouted at her, increasing the flow of tears down Ryan's face as Starfire hugged him tighter.

"Robin," Cyborg stood up, "you need to calm down. The kids are-"

"You DELIBERATELY disobeyed a direct order!" Robin snapped, "how am I supposed to trust any of you if you don't LISTEN?!"

"Robin," Raven interjected, "Starfire and Cyborg were just trying to-"

"DON'T defend them!" He slammed his hands on the coffee table, "I don't CARE why they did it!" He took a steadying breath, "I'm the LEADER of this team," He reminded them savagely, "I'm RESPONSIBLE for all of you, and-"

"Dude, we're all-"

"EVERYTHING," he silenced Beast Boy, "I tell you to do, is to make sure everyone in this room, and everyone out there," he stabbed a finger towards the city beyond the window, "is SAFE. So when you ignore me, you're risking the safety of this team, _and_ the people we're supposed to be protecting! Including those kids," he gestured to a sobbing Ryan and Marie.

"We didn't _mean_ to-"

"Of course you didn't MEAN to!" Robin shouted at Cyborg, "none of you ever MEANS to do anything! Starfire never MEANT to poison the kids with her cooking," Starfire winced at the insult to her Tamaranean dishes, "Beast Boy never MEANT to let Ryan loose at the supermarket, Raven never MEANT to traumatize the kids with that stupid videogame she got them - and that's the problem!"

"Hey!" Beast Boy cried, "it's not like _you_ haven't done anything wrong! You watched Marie and Ryan for five minutes and she almost _killed_ him!"

"We're _teens_ , Robin," Raven added, "not parents. We're doing the best we can."

"Well, our best isn't good enough," Robin informed her icily, then, after a brief pause, announced, "which is why we're going to have to find somewhere else for Ryan and Marie to stay."

"Please," Starfire asked, brow furrowed in confusion, "the safe room is no longer acceptable?"

Robin looked meaningfully at her, but said nothing.

"I think," Cyborg walked over to the girl and put a hand on her shoulder to prepare her, "he means that we're going to have to send the kids away."

"...away?" She repeated, not understanding.

Cyborg nodded.

"But...he cannot!" She cried, looking wildly from Cyborg to Robin, "where would they _go_?"

"You can't exactly put them in foster care," Raven noted.

"We're going to have to find somewhere else. With other superheroes, maybe. Or Tamaran."

"But who will stay and do the fighting of crime if we are all to travel to Tamaran?" Starfire asked, unable or unwilling to understand.

"We will," Robin answered solemnly, "because we won't be going with them."

"...what?" Starfire looked up at him, questioning her ears, _begging_ him not to have meant the words that had just escaped his lips.

"Raven's right, Star. We're teens. We're not equipped to handle the responsibility of raising two kids with superpowers. If we keep going on like this, we're going to be too exhausted to think properly. We're going to start losing battles. We're always going to be at least one team member short on every mission. We're going to have more days like today, where we're risking the kids getting found out by one of our enemies."

"But Robin, we can-"

"We _can't_ , Starfire." Robin shook his head, "because one day, someone IS going to find out, and we don't have the wherewithal to deal with it. Besides," he shifted his gaze towards the children, "we're barely meeting their needs as it is. They're children. They need stability, and people who actually _want_ to spend time with them-"

"All we DO is spend time with them!" Beast Boy defended.

"Because we _have_ to. The kids need people that aren't going to keep arguing about whose turn it is to watch them. They need people that actually _want_ them there. People that have enough life experience to be able to look after themselves AND other people."

"We look after each other," Beast Boy objected, but with less conviction than before.

"We have each other's backs in battle," Robin specified, "but we don't make sure everyone else is eating right, or feeling ok, or going to bed on time, or making it home on time - we're NOT parents. We're not even ADULTS," Robin admitted, "we can't be expected to raise anyone else. We're...basically raising ourselves."

The titans were quiet.

Robin wasn't wrong. They didn't have anyone to hold them as they cried, or care when they stubbed their toe, or wonder where they were and what they were up to. They didn't have anyone to ask advice from, or to tell them it would all be ok in the end, or to call them on their birthdays. If something happened to them, something bad, or life-threatening...they didn't have anyone, aside from each other, that would even show up to stand by their bedside, or hold their hand as they lay there in pain, or a coma, or worse. All that the titans had were each other. And, like Robin said, they didn't do a great job of it. They tried, of course, and sometimes succeeded, but there was no 'parent' of their group. No unofficial titan 'Mom' or 'Dad' - just a group of people that were barely more than children, playing dress-up and waiting up for parents that were never, _ever_ coming home. What kind of an environment was that for Ryan and Marie?

"You can't just get _rid_ of them!" Beast Boy shouted, standing in anger, "you can't just dump them with some random people that don't even _know_ them!"

" _We_ didn't know them, either," Raven countered.

"Whose side are you ON?!" Beast Boy yelled in her face.

"D-don't b-be mea-mean to M-Mommy," Marie reprimanded, muffled by her tears and the fabric of Raven's cloak.

"Robin's just being realistic," Raven said, clinical in her speech, "we _can't_ keep doing this. It's not good for us, _or_ them."

"So what," Beast Boy demanded, "you're just going to sit there and let Robin TAKE them away from us?!"

"It's the logical solution-"

"Logical solution?!" Beast Boy cried, "what are you?! A ROBOT?!"

"BB," Cyborg tried to pull him away, "you need to relax. We're just talk-"

"Relax? RELAX?!" He shoved Cyborg away, "he wants to TAKE our KIDS! HOW am I supposed to RELAX?!"

"Beast Boy," Cyborg attempted again, "you need to-"

"Just because YOU don't have any kids in the future DOESN'T mean you get to tell ME what to do with MINE!"

Cyborg stepped back, clearly hurt by the harsh words.

"BEAST BOY!" Robin grabbed his attention once again, "this is NOT about you, or Cyborg, or any of the titans. This is about what's best for Ryan and Marie. And I think, if we all take some time to think about it, that we'll all agree that this is the best solution. For everyone."

Beast Boy glared at him. Raven nodded. Cyborg stared at the ground. Starfire shut her eyes, tears streaming down her face and into Ryan's hair.

"I'll give everyone the night to think about it," Robin informed them, though it was more of a courtesy than an actual offer, "and then tomorrow we can discuss options for relocating them."

Beast Boy muttered under his breath.

"In the meantime," Robin gave them a final peace offering, "since this might be one of our last nights together, we might want to spend it together with the kids. Outside the safe room."

Robin walked over to Starfire, addressing the little boy in her arms and moving to rustle his hair, "hey buddy, would you like to sleep in my room toni-"

"NO," Starfire's eyes glowed green, and she swiveled her torso so that Ryan was out of Robin's reach, "you will do no such thing. _I_ shall spend the evening with _my_ son. It appears that he does not possess the father, therefore you shall NOT be joining us."

Robin retracted his hand as if he'd been slapped.

"I...I'll be in the evidence room," he announced quietly, but in the tense silence everyone could clearly hear his footsteps as he left the room.

"He can't DO that!" Beast Boy shouted, as soon as Robin was out of earshot, "what's WRONG with him?! It's like he doesn't even LIKE them!"

"Do you?" Raven asked.

"Duh!" Beast Boy cried, "I've spent like ALL my time with them! I mean, they're super annoying, and loud, and totally needy..." he noticed Raven's raised brow then checked himself, "but we have good times! Besides - they're part of the team!"

"They're a little young to be part of the team," Raven pointed out.

"Fine - part of the titans _family_ , ok?" He said snarkily, "and they're literally a PART of us! Like, Marie's half YOU! It's like taking YOU away! How could we even beat anybody without you?!"

"You've all done that _multiple_ times."

"Why are you DOING this?!" Beast Boy asked, angrily, but sincerely, "do you WANT to get rid of them?! Just SAY it, Raven - SAY you want them to disappear forever, because you HATE yourself and you HATE Marie because she reminds you of YOU!"

Raven looked at him blankly, but the immovable expression of her features did nothing to prevent the kitchen applicances and bulbs from turning black and bursting under the weight of her emotions.

Beast Boy's eyes widened.

"Raven, I didn't...I didn't _mean_ -"

Raven phased into the floor with Marie before he could finish.

"UGH!" Beast Boy pulled at his hair, turning to his older friend, "why is this HAPPENING?!"

"I don't know," Cyborg said callously, "I'm just a robot who's going to be alone forever."

"Cy, I-I'm sorry. I didn't that you-"

"Save it BB," Cyborg pushed past him.

"Cy..." Beast Boy called weakly after him, watching as the door swished shut behind him.

"Star?" Beast Boy turned to the rooms final occupants, "do you-"

"Please excuse me, friend Beast Boy," Starfire stood, still clutching the child in her arms, "if this is to be the end of my time with Ryan, I should like to spend it with him. Alone."

"Oh. Um...ok..."

Starfire walked past him, too upset to fly, and Beast Boy's eyes trailed after her until she had gone. Once she had, he turned back to the bay windows, and fell back onto the couch, sinking slightly into the cusions. He was going to lose them. And it was _all_ of their faults. But maybe if Beast Boy had been better...spent more time with them, or not let Marie have waffles every day, or tried harder to train Ryan, or not taken them to the grocery store that one time, or not unintentionally inspired Ryan to turn into a fish and almost get sucked down the drain, or not let Ryan in the dryer, or didn't complain about them as much, or offered to sleep with them every night instead of trying to shove the responsibility onto someone else...would it have changed anything?

Beast Boy had numerous animals living within him, fighting for dominance, trying their best to influence his actions. Some, like the wolf, were pack animals. The titans were his pack. Marie had been adopted into it, and Ryan shared his blood. They were both his cubs, in a way. And a wolf defends their cubs. They don't decide that another pack could do it better. They don't give up on their own. No matter how dire the circumstances. No matter how brutal the odds. Throughout it all, the pack sticks together. So why, _now_ , did he feel as though his pack was fractured?

Beast Boy was smarter than his teammates often gave him credit for. At the very least, he was certainly able to read the writing, scrawled upon the wall in permanent marker; Marie and Ryan were leaving. The only question was; _where_?

Beast Boy stared out of the glass wall, watching as darkness fell upon Jump City, wondering where, in that darkness, Marie and Ryan were going to fall. He had stared up at the same, starlit sky, taking shelter in a tree, the night after his parents had drowned, unsure or where he should go or what he should do, or who was going to sing his favorite lulluby as he drifted off to sleep. He was a child, swallowed by the vast unknown, chewed and spit out, and digested again. First by a chieftan, a friend of his parents. Then by a greedy, ruthless guardian. Then by theieves. Then the Doom Patrol. Then he washed up on the shores of Titans Tower, and finally, _finally_ , he was home. And the darkness subsided. He recognized when it was close, though. And Marie and Ryan were about to be sent straight into it.

If there was one thing Beast Boy wished for those two children, it was that they lead a life as different as possible from his own. He wished that they would never wonder where their next meal was coming from. He wished that they would never doubt that their caregivers loved them. And he wished, so very, very much, they wouldn't end up like him. A man who never felt he was enough, and tried his best to hide his scars from the world, lest they see him for what he truly was. Worthless. Unwanted. An outcast. A Beast.

He wouldn't allow Ryan and Marie to ever feel those things. He _couldn't_. But right now, with the vast unknown so close, pressing in on his heart and mind and lungs, he couldn't think of how. Instead, Beast Boy sat, looking out the windows, letting his tears drip onto the couch.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Ravager had done this to herself. She should have been quicker. Locating the titans at that park had been elementary - after all, she _did_ have a camera with a geolocator in the eye of a certain Cyborg. What had taken her so long? She had strolled when she should have run until her lungs fought for breath, and then continued on after. But she had gotten there too late. The battle had been underway, far too close to the children and the two titans that had, until the end, refused to leave their side. She couldn't have risked them seeing her. To do so, she would have forfeited her control over the situation - whatever pathetic fragment was left.

Her plan had been so carefully laid. So expertly prepared. It was going to be _perfect_. But the titans had gone and thrown a disgusting, rusty wrench into the middle of it, rendering it almost unrecognizeable. Perhaps this was why her father had so revered them. They had an uncanny ability to ruin one's fun. It made for more of a challenge.

But Ravager liked her plans. She liked control. And, today, she had lost it. Her objective had been achieved - it always was. She hadn't been as effective an assassion if she left a target standing. She wouldn't have been alive to taunt the titans, either.

The children were alive, and unseen by that group of petty thieves. More accurately; not truly seen for what they were. Their powers had remained hidden, until the boy transformed.

Ravager sat back in her chair, sinking into the single, pleasant memory from today's events.

The boy had turned into giant, gorgeous monster, rippling muscles covering its frame, claws anxious to rip flesh from the bone, fangs dripping with anticipation of the feast. It gave her goosebumps just thinking about it. Never had she seen so spectacular a specimen. And to tame it? A sigh of pleasure rushed, like fire, through her veins. To have an apprentice was one thing. But such a pet...

Ravager laughed, deeply, from her gut.

Oh, to think! She'd have an apprentice wielding black magic, and a monster on a leash, both at her beck and call. Both sworn, in loyalty, to _her_. Both broken, then rebuilt, in Ravager's image. It was all she could do to stop from storming the tower right that very second, and claiming both her prizes right then and there.

But Ravager knew better.

Plans, however foiled, were still important. Going in without one, like today, was like swimming in a lake holding a lightening rod during a thunderstorm; moronic, and bound to hurt. Sometimes, however, it was necessary.

Ravager was confident that no one had seen anything. She had wisped from tree to tree, from blade of grass to bush, until she reached the playset that the children had been using. As if mere peasant toys would be enough to stimulate their potential. She had concealed them, yes, but something about her quick deployment of the bomb into the ground made her doubt that someone had not seen her, for a moment, as she receded into the smoke and disappeared. It could have been her paranoia, of course. One doesn't involve oneself in the business of murder if they aren't aware of the consequences.

Often as not, after you eliminate your target, one is placed, immediately, on your own back. Of course, taking out the competition was always one of Ravager's favorite parts. Hand delivering a box of fingers or toes, or a severed arm or head to the home of her employers, taking in the screams when they realized what she'd done, before climbing through a window or a chimney or the hundred other ways one can drift seamlessly into another's home, and leaving whole families in her wake, bleeding out together on the floor. No one could be left behind. It was far too risky that way. Someone could see her. Someone could want revenge. And as much as Ravager would truly enjoy the relish of killing an unexpected, unfinished matter of business, she was not one to take that kind of chance. Until today.

Ravager was well familiar with the old adage; no act of kindness goes unpunished. But what she had done wasn't kindness so much as a desire to execute that which had already been laid in place. Yes, Ravager could have attempted to take the children. She had the cages ready, though one would clearly need to be upgraded to contain a beast of such magnificence. But, had she done that, the titans wouldn't know that it was _she_ who had taken them. They might have given some other, lesser villains, the credit, and gone after them instead. Leaving Ravager to celebrate her victory in private, undisturbed.

But what, then, was the point of it all? Slade was an exhibitionist. His accomplishments meant nothing without someone present to lord it over. He had done it to Ravager enough times for her to know. Much like he had with that insufferable Robin.

Ravager had intended to stick to her initial plan. This park fiasco was just a small detour on the road to far greater things. But Robin, that poor excuse for a leader, had just suggested that the children be _removed_. Tomorrow, at the earliest. If not tomorrow, then soon. Far too soon for her liking. Ravager had wanted to lull them into a sense of calm, then strike after weeks of silence, introducing herself as she took the children right in front of them, as they looked helplessly, hopelessly, on. But, apparently, Robin had different ideas.

No matter. Despite her displeasure, Ravager could adapt. She had everything ready, after all. It was just the delicacy of the anticipation that she would miss out on. It would be a small thing to sacrifice, to take the children into her possession, in the way she had dreamt of. Truly, it _was_ a dream. To retell it to her father, or, better, to have him watching, through secret, impossible channels, seeing her take hold of powers he could not possibly have imagined her to be able to take. He would be proud. And if he wasn't? Well, she would have a pet and an apprentice that would both be _eager_ to prove themselves up to the task of taking his life. Or holding him down while Ravager did the honors. No, while _Rose_ did. She wanted him to see her as she dug her blade in. Not Ravager, the assassin taught by a master in the arts of battle and manipulation, but the sweet and innocent child he had so shamelessly corrupted.

She licked her lips.

The time would be tomorrow, then. She doubted that the titans would come to any quick conclusions, if their arguments were any indication. And if they did, it was doubtful that whoever they recruited to take the children off their hands would be there so soon. However, she would monitor the situation. After this complication, she would leave _nothing_ to chance. Not that she ever did, really.

Second chances were something Ravager wasn't familiar with.


	47. Chapter 47

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 47

Starfire stroked Ryan's hair as he slept, smoothing down the unruly tufts. Galfore had done the same for her, once. Stayed by her side until she drifted off on sleepless nights, those many years ago. Would he do the same for Ryan?

Ryan mumbled in his sleep, his small brow creasing.

Perhaps he was revisiting the day's events, listening to Robin's harsh words once again. Or maybe he was dreaming of Marie. The little friend he almost lost today, whom he had so boldly attempted to avenge. Starfire noted the similarity between his actions and that of Beast Boy, when Raven had been attacked by Adonis. The rash reaction, with no thought given to the consequences. To be fair, though, in Beast Boy's case, he _had_ just taken a bath in toxic, DNA-altering chemicals. Ryan must have inherited whatever mutation caused the Beast to emerge. Then again - couldn't Beast Boy turn into any animal he saw? Perhaps Ryan had merely seen Beast Boy in Beast form, and them mimicked it?

Starfire ran her thumb across his cheek, and the tension in his face seemed to ease slightly.

She supposed that the specific way in which Ryan's abilities worked were unimportant, as of now. Considering the fact that tomorrow, or soon after, he was to be taken from her. That Robin could suggest that his own child be sent away - that _her_ child, was to be removed from her own arms... It was horrible. It was unnatural. It was unthinkable. And, yet, Starfire's father, the Grand Ruler of Tamaran, and her mother, his beloved wife, had done just that. They had sent their children away. To train. To the Citadel. To exile. Because Tamaran came before oneself, before one's spouse or child or family - and who better to set an example than their leaders?

Starfire watched as Ryan's chest rose, and listened to his small sigh as he exhaled. She hoped that it would not become the loud snoring that Beast Boy occasionally exhibited. Of course, there was no guarantee that she would be there to find out. She was lucky to even have the time they did, before Robin stole him away.

The night before he handed her over to the Citadel, Starfire's own father had sat her down, and explained that a leader had to do what was best for their people. He had reminded her that, as one in line for the throne, this role extended to her as well. So she had to be brave, and understand that her sacrifice was necessary, and know that the people of Tamaran survived and prospered because of it. She had understood. It was her duty, after all. This was what she had been reared to do. It was inevitable. It was destiny. It was _fate_. She was the daughter of a king, after all.

Yet it was Galfore who had begged on bended knees, prostrating himself before her father, that he let Starfire stay and take his chances on the battlefield instead. Galfore had valued her above everyone else on the planet. Galfore had proudly proclaimed that he would rather have countless warriors lose their lives in an impossible battle rather than see his little bumgorf suffer.

Starfire could not have guessed would happen, during her captivity. She was educated on the customs of their enemies, of course. But feeling their cold tools on her skin as they cut into her flesh...the way they shoved and shackled her, and... Starfire had been naive. She had no idea what she was walking, proudly and willingly, into. But King Myand'r did. And _still_ , despite this knowledge, he took her arm and led her to her captors. He had weighed the suffering of his people against that of his daughter's. The destruction of Tamaran against the crushing, shattering abuse he knew Starfire would undergo. And, as always, he knew that Tamaran's was greater.

Galfore had known this, too. But it had not stopped him.

He was the father everyone wanted. The father every child _should_ have. But her father, Myand'r, was the leader everyone _needed_.

Starfire never doubted that her father was right to trade her for the greater good. How could she call herself a princess if she was unwilling to sacrifice herself to ensure that her people were spared the hardship and pain of war? No, she had never blamed her father for giving her up. She had not questioned his judgment. She had never doubted his intentions, or his commitment to the people of Tamaran. She knew that he had made the right decision. Even today.

She did not, however, know if he had loved her.

Ryan smiled in his sleep. It seemed his dreams had taken a turn for the better.

Starfire looked away.

If Jump City was Tamaran, then the titans were its leaders, tasked with protecting and serving its citizens to the best of their abilities. It was their responsibility to make sure that their people were safe, even to their own detriment. If they kept Ryan and Marie, Robin was right; they would be tired, short-handed, and ineffective. They would be unable to perform the job they were supposed to, and the people of Jump City would suffer. He wasn't trying to be mean or cruel or insensitive. Robin was just acting like a leader. Not a father.

Was it possible to do both? Be a devoted parent, _and_ a guardian of the city?

Beast Boy had been raised by the Doom Patrol, and Robin, from what little she had gathered, was raised by _someone_ with at least some association with crime-fighting. But how had that turned out? Beast Boy rarely spoke about his old team. He hadn't introduced them by choice. He seemed all too happy to pretend they didn't exist. And Robin actively avoided any mention of his upbringing, especially that related to the mysterious person under whose watch he became _Robin_ in the first place. Both boys had become heroes, following in their guardians' footsteps. But, like Starfire, neither of them felt the attachment that Ryan so dearly held for Starfire. The attachment he felt for both present _and_ future Robin, who continued, in both times, to undervalue him, and focus on duty before family. So perhaps it was _not_ so easy.

If the choice was then to be a mother, _or_ a leader, which one was she to choose? She was a princess of Tamaran. She had allowed herself to be enslaved for her subjects' benefit. She had given up the throne to someone she felt was far more worthy. She had saved countless lives both on Tamaran, and Earth. She fought, risked her life every day, for the people of Jump City. Who knew how many of them might not be there, were it not for her catching a car mid-air, or lifting bystanders out of a danger zone, or using her starbolts to incapacitate a criminal that meant to do them harm?

If she left, Robin would find someone to replace her - she was not so naive as to think that he would sit there, mourning her loss, day in and out. The team would persevere. But that other, newer member would be pulled from wherever it was that they were operating, leaving the people they defended without a protector. No matter how it was broken down, the equation was the same; one less hero meant substantially less good in the world. People would suffer, if she left. Even if they weren't those in Jump City.

Was that something Starfire could live with?

Ryan snuggled closer to her, sighing contentedly.

Was Ryan something she could live _without_?

Starfire ran her fingers across the ears Beast Boy had claimed the "chicks" had "digged", and Ryan swatted her away.

If she were to let him go, where would he end up? On Tamaran, with Galfore? Galfore, who was now Grand Ruler, and would, like Myand'r, have to put his planet above Ryan? And would, with all his duties, have no time to spend with him? Who, then, would Ryan be spending his days with? Would he adapt to the warrior culture, when his nature was so sensitive and sweet? She didn't want to see him lose that love and kindness, in lieu of war and honor. If she ever got to see him at all.

But then again, if today was any indication, he might be more adaptable than she had thought. The boy had turned from sweet and scared into a ferocious, furious Beast. Well-equipped for battle with the most dangerous of foes. Kind of like Starfire.

It was not until she came to Earth that Starfire was able to freely express herself, without the expectations set upon her by Tamaranean society. Within the palace walls, Galfore had been the only one to whom she has felt comfortable being her true self. Her sister had exploited her, and her parents viewed it as weakness. Though kindness was a virtue, vulnerability was decidedly _not_. So Starfire had grown a shell, hardened by training and effort, and pushed the true Starfire back behind it. Would Galfore, the ruler, tell Ryan to do the same?

What kind of a mother would she be if she sent Ryan away, to grow up, without her, on a planet he was unfamiliar with? But what kind of a leader would she be if she let him stay?

Ryan growled at some figment of his imagination, leaving a puddle of drool in his wake. Starfire leaned over and wiped the corner of his mouth with the sheet.

Robin was right. She couldn't be the mother Ryan deserved while at the same time being the guardian her city needed. When it came down to it, there was really only one question she had to bring herself to answer; was she a mother? Or a hero?

Starfire lay down beside Ryan, close enough that his forehead touched her own, and breathed in the fading scent of ash and grass caught in his hair.

She knew what she was. What she had been raised to be. What she had always been.

Starfire gazed at her little boy, memorizing the details of his face. It's shape was so much like Ryand'r's, with Beast Boy's fangs poking out of his sweet mouth. The messy locks, like hers, when she hadn't had the time to brush her hair. This was her bumgorf. Flesh of her flesh, blood of her blood. Son of the princess of Tamaran. Son of a titan. Son of a Beast.

Though Starfire knew his only wish was to be like Robin, Ryan could not deny who he was. And neither could she.

But oh, how she would miss that face.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"I WANT DADDY!" Marie cried, pounding Raven's mattress with her fists, barely denting the comforter.

Raven wondered at how a child that could wield the powers of darkness could be so physically weak.

"DADDY!" Marie shouted, as if that would cause Beast Boy to grandly burst into the room, rescuing her from her horrible, home-wrecking mother.

" _Daddy_ 's not allowed in here," Raven informed her.

"Yes he IS!" Marie screamed, as Raven's new bed frame glowed a dangerous black.

At least, if Marie destroyed this one, Raven could pick a new one that Marie did NOT associate with her and Beast Boy's marital bed.

"No, he's _not_."

"It's his room TOO!" Marie insisted.

Like Raven wasn't painfully aware of that future fun fact already.

The thing was, Beast Boy had hit the mark with his earlier comment. It infuriated her when he did that. Reminded her how well he knew her, despite how hard she tried to keep most everything in. She'd become slightly more open over the years, especially after Trigon's defeat, but that didn't mean she was flaunting her emotions and innermost thoughts for the world to see. She certainly didn't want Beast Boy broadcasting it to the rest of the team. She still didn't understand how a boy that could be so oblivious with everyday things could be so oddly perceptive when it came to her. It was aggravating.

"DADDY!" Marie hollered again, convinced that somehow, screaming at the top of her lungs was going to sway Raven.

...kind of like Marie.

"I WANT DADDY!"

Marie, who so often reminded her of herself, but acted so very differently than she had been allowed to do. Could she have been the same as the screaming little girl before her, were she raised by someone other than the monks of Azarath?

"DADDY!"

The wood was dangerously close to splintering, but Raven refused to give in.

However accurate Beast Boy's comments were, they cut deep into her skin, and left a painful sting that she would carry with her for hours afterwards, and remember far after the scars had faded.

No. Beast Boy would _not_ be joining them tonight. The wounds were too fresh.

"Daddy's not coming," Raven reiterated, "but if you really want him that badly then go get him and sleep in _your_ room," she snapped.

Marie stopped pummeling the mattress, and the bed lost its black cover.

"But..." her voice wavered, "I want you AND Daddy..."

"...what?"

Raven had not expected such a request. It had been made abundantly clear that Marie and future Beast Boy were close. It was also clear that Marie used Raven almost exclusively when she was scared or sad. But she had moved past the trauma of the earlier team meeting - she just throwing a tantrum now. She was angry. She didn't _need_ Raven when she was angry. Unless Raven was the one she wanted to yell at, of course. But screaming for Beast Boy wasn't exactly yelling at _Raven_ so much as calling _him_.

"You don't need _me_ ," Raven brushed her off, "I'm just a security blanket," she lifted the side of her cloak, displaying the various tear and snot stains, " _literally_."

"Yes I DO!" Marie shouted, confident in her resolve.

"What could _possibly_ make you want to spend time with someone who'd prefer to read than talk to you?" Raven asked, with minimal curiousity and maximum harshness.

Marie rolled her eyes, as if Raven's question was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard.

"You're _Mommy_ ," she said, simply, "duh."

Raven stared at her blankly. What did that _mean_?

"If you don't let Daddy in," Marie continued, preventing her from contemplating further, "then I'm gonna bring him in!"

Raven rased a skeptical brow.

" _Oh, really_?"

She put her hands on her hips. As if Marie couldn't easily be removed from the room with just a snap of Raven's fing-

"AHHHHHHHH-"

OOOMPH

Oh. Right. It seemed she had forgotten that Marie was capable of doing the very same to Beast Boy.

"You know," Beast Boy sprang up from his fall zone behind the bed, his former malaise replaced with frustration, "you could have just _asked_ me to-"

"I'm not the one that brought you here," Raven glared at Marie.

"Mommy wasn't gonna let you in your room," Marie informed him, "I helped!"

She grinned, as if he should be thanking her instead of lamenting the state of his aching bottom.

"Uh...thanks..." He glanced at Raven, who looked equally as angered as before, "but I should probably hang out in my-I mean _your_ room tonight."

"But this is YOUR room," Marie stated.

Raven scowled.

Beast Boy gulped.

"You know," he turned back to Marie, "Raven-uh, _Mommy_ ," Raven cringed, "is kinda mad at me. So, I thought I'd give her some space. Ok?"

"NOT ok," Marie shook her head.

"What if you and me go play a game in the living room? So Raven can stay here and...meditate and stuff?" He looked at Raven over his shoulder, searching for some semblance of resistance to the idea of him stealing Marie away on what may have been their very last night together, "does that sound good?" He asked, addressing both of them.

"I don't wanna play a game," Marie protested.

"We can do something else-"

"I wanna stay in YOUR room! I wanna family night!"

"A 'family night'?" Beast Boy frowned, "what's a 'family night'?"

"Family night's when we do stuff just us," Marie said, "without Ryan, or Uncle Robin or Aunt Starfire. JUST us," she reiterated.

"I...think we've had enough of those," Beast Boy tried to reason, "you haven't really slept alone in a while."

"Sleeping isn't family night! Family night is when we do something _fun_ ," she talked down to him, as if he were too dull to understand the simple concept, "so we hafta be AWAKE."

"That's probably not-"

"What _kind_ of fun?" Raven asked, making Beast Boy snap his head around in surprise.

"I wanna watch a movie!" She declared, jumping up on the comforter, "in bed!"

"What's wrong with the living room?" Raven raised a brow.

"Someone could come _in_ ," Marie emphasized, "and inderubd."

"I don't _have_ a tv," Raven pointed out the obvious.

"You DO!" Marie insisted, "it's _there_!"

Beast Boy and Raven turned to stare at the blank wall she was pointing at.

"Most of the time!" She ammended, "you gotta put it _back_."

"I don't HAVE a-"

"Hey!" Beast Boy stepped between the two demons, one of which was clearly going to escalate to the point of bursting if the conversation continued, "why don't I just grab mine? I have that little one I game on - I can plug it in or something and we can watch on the bed," his eyes grew wide as Raven's narrowed, "I mean - if it's ok with you! You're probably still pretty mad about before, and-"

"Whatever," Raven waved him off, "just get the tv."

"...really?" He asked incredulously.

Raven's eyes seared into his, daring him to ask again.

"Uh...ok!" Beast Boy smiled weakly, "one tv, coming up!"

He dashed out of the room, eager to be out from under Raven's cold gaze.

Beast Boy wasn't exactly a master of perception. The way he saw it, things usually were what they looked like. If Starfire cried, she was sad. If Cyborg laughed, he was happy. That was it. Robin was always moody, and Beast Boy never really cared enough to open _that_ can of worms - that was Starfire's problem. But Raven? She'd mostly been a closed book. Always cold and sarcastic and, well, _mean_. To him, at least. On the surface, she seemed like she was made of stone. So when Beast Boy had snapped, that first time, when Raven's powers had exploded his breakfast in his face just because he was trying to be nice and offer it to her, he hadn't expected the reaction he had gotten. He hadn't realized that sometimes, the person throwing stones is made of glass. The ensuing trip into her mind had been an eye-opener. She had all these different feelings she'd been hiding away, and though he and Cyborg had ultimately helped her to regain control of her emotions, Beast Boy had learned some things that he most certainly should not have. He had witnessed, firsthand, the insecurities she harbored. He had worked to make sure that she felt included - things he knew would ease her troubled mind. But he had also, on multiple occasions, used it against her.

It was never out of the blue. There was always a reason. She shut the door in his face for the tenth time that day, or destroyed something he'd worked on, or insulted his intelligence for the five billionth time - and Beast Boy would snap. And in the heat of the moment, when his desire was only to cause the level of pain that he was feeling, the words he spoke were poison. He knew - he _knew_ \- that it wasn't fair. That Raven got to be obnoxious all the time, and everyone just dealt with it, whereas _he_ was never allowed to have his own blowups without more serious consequences. But he also knew that Raven's daily jabs were just that - pokes that he could swat away, whereas his words released a toxin, delivered straight, and fatally, into her heart.

He always knew when it had happened. Something in her eyes shifted. The impassive indifference morphed, for just a moment, into fear, and pain, and shock. And then they'd harden. And it was all Beast Boy could do to figure out how he could fix it. He hadn't intended for today to be one of those days. But Raven had insinuated that she was comfortable losing Marie, and he was _not_. He was hurt, and shocked, and _angry_ , and he had lashed out, with another poisoned dart. He didn't regret saying something. It wasn't like he could just sit back and let her agree to get rid of the kid without a fight - but he could have done it better. He should have asked her what she was thinking and feeling, instead of just throwing her own personal thoughts and failings back into her face. Things others didn't necessarily have knowledge of. Things he shouldn't have had, either.

So no. Raven was _not_ ok. Sure, she had brushed him off, but Beast Boy knew better than to take her words at face value. Unlike the other titans, nothing was ever easy with Raven.

But for some reason, despite this, she was putting her pain aside to let Marie indulge in her little game of - what had Marie called it before? - 'house'. Instead of kicking him out, Raven was allowing him to touch, even _alter_ , her usually forbidden room and pretend, for one night, that he and she and Marie were all members of Team Logan, just one happy family having a movie night. But _why_? If she was so intent on getting rid of her, why was Raven being so...nice? Well, maybe _nice_ was pushing it. Accomodating was more like it. Was she feeling guilty?

Oh...

Beast Boy sighed.

This was a goodbye gift. That was it. Because tomorrow she was going to let Robin take Marie, without lifting a finger to stop him. She was giving her a final night of 'normalcy' before her world was stretched and twisted and pulled out again.

Beast Boy took a deep breath, trying to stay the dam of tears that threatened to break.

As much as he hated it, Beast Boy wasn't going to ruin it. If this was a goodbye gift, then Beast Boy would try to make the best of it. To make it the best for _Marie_.

Beast Boy straightened his back and opened the door to his bedroom, prepared to begin the search for his tv.


	48. Chapter 48

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 48

"Dude, it's like a jungle in here! I can't find _any_ of your holes!"

"You're not looking hard enough."

"Yes I AM! Can't you just _help_?"

"Nope. _You_ were the one who suggested this."

"Well, _you_ said it was ok!"

"I'm starting to regret that."

"Don't you ever put any electronics in?"

"I prefer other forms of entertainment."

"Like books are so much better? Oh, hey! I think I got it!"

"Joy."

"It's stuck."

"Then push harder."

"I'm _tryingggg_..."

A grunt.

"Almost there..."

Another grunt.

"ARGGGGGHHH!" Beast Boy groaned, rolling onto his back, "I think I pulled a muscle..."

"I didn't know this would be so challenging for you."

"Very funny, Raven," he turned over to look at her, "how're you doing over there?"

"Not great. I think something's wrong with your-"

"What?!" Beast Boy cried, jumping up from the ground, "I've used it like a bajillion times!"

Raven scowled as Beast Boy all but leapt on top of her in an effort to rectify the situation.

"Oh," he smiled, "that's not a big deal - here," Beast Boy put his hands on top of the box, "sometimes you just need to give it a good smack..."

BANG BANG

"Ha! See?! I told you we could get it on!"

Beast Boy grinned at the tv propped up by some books on Raven's bed, its screen proudly glowing blue.

It had taken a while, and a lot of furniture and ancient relic repositioning, but Beast Boy had finally located an electrical outlet to plug the tv into - albeit one that required some substantial stretching to reach. Needless to say, Raven was _not_ thrilled.

"Ok, so what're we watching?" Beast Boy asked the little girl on the floor, currently looking through Beast Boy's DVD collection.

"I like this one!" Marie held up a title that read "Moped-Palooza" whose cover contained, amongst other things, a variety of scantily-clad women in patterned bikinis showing off a bright red moped. It was obvious that Marie had picked it for the colors rather than the content.

"I...don't think you'd like that one."

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Whaddabout this one?" Marie held up another with the words "Wicked Scary" scrawled across the cover.

"NO!" Both titans shouted in unison.

Marie put the DVD down.

"This one?" She tried, holding up a green and red affair that read "Zombie Apocalypse V".

"No-"

"It's ok!" Beast Boy interrupted his refusing teammate, "it's not even that scary - after "Zombie Apocalypse IV" came out, they kind of stopped caring. The guts don't even look real!"

"NO."

"Ugh, _fine_ ," Beast Boy folded his arms. After a day like today he could really have used some mindless zombie-bashing.

"This one?" Marie held up something with UFOs shining an obnoxious silver behind an equally-as-obnoxious looking captain and what appeared to be a variety of monstrous-looking aliens.

"That looks kind of racist," Raven commented, "I don't think Starfire would approve."

"But dude," Beast Boy cried, "that's "Clash of the Planets"! It's a CLASSIC!"

"That doesn't mean it's not offensive."

"Since when do _you_ care about being offensive?"

"Sometimes it's necessary," she gestured towards him.

Beast Boy scowled. He was _really_ trying to be nice. He _really_ wanted it to make Marie's possible last night amazing. But he also REALLY wanted to grab Raven by the shoulders and shake her until she came to her senses and realized that he was right, and that they _had_ to protect Marie.

Instead, he forced his eyes away, and tried to turn his fang-toothed sneer into a non-threatening frown.

"Anyway," he turned back to Marie and tried his best to smile, "I think that's an awesome choice! Right, Raven?" He asked, turning briefly.

"Fine," she consented, without enthusiasm, "let's just get this over with."

"Can you at least _try_ to-" Beast Boy stopped himself. Now was _not_ the time for stupid arguments that would probably end with Marie in tears and Beast Boy kicked out - and there was no way he was messing up his chance to enjoy his last few hours with Marie. When the night started, it seemed like he wouldn't even have that.

He swallowed his pride and ended with a grumbled, "never mind."

Raven raised a brow. She had expected at least some minor retort. Beast Boy was clearly trying to keep his cool. She hadn't realized how much he'd actually _liked_ Marie until today, so it was still slightly shocking to know that he was controlling himself - which he _rarely_ did - for her benefit.

Raven had seen him interact with the kids on numerous occasions, enjoying it, even, at certain points, but she assumed that everyone - except for the unnaturally bubbly, loving alien amongst them - was merely tolerating them. She hadn't known that Beast Boy actually _cared_. She had thought that he was just weaker than her, just worse at saying "no". He complained all the time - probably more than she did. Was he lying, then, when he whined about not wanting to be left alone with the kids, or having to sleep in their room, or the numerous other things he'd gone on about?

She watched as Beast Boy told some sort of joke to Marie, who rolled her eyes in response.

Beast Boy said what was on his mind. He was pretty much born without a filter - it had been proven on _numerous_ occasions. And about half of what he'd said about the kids had been negative - maybe more. That meant he felt ambivalent about them, at the very least.

Then again, Beast Boy complained about _Raven_ too.

She'd received her fair share of criticisms and insults and attacks of frustration from him throughout the years - probably more than any other titan. But they were still friends...right? At least, it _seemed_ like they were. They had their arguments, and they obviously annoyed each other all the time, but neither one of them wanted to see the other disappear forever. She didn't, anyway. And if _he_ did, he probably wouldn't keep bothering to talk to her all the time, or trying to get her to play his ridiculous games or listen to his stupid jokes.

Was it similar, then? The way he viewed Marie? Did he see her the way he saw Raven? The way Raven saw _him_? Something to be both endured and appreciated at the same time? Now that she was really thinking about it, it was an odd concept. The idea that one would willingly subject themself to something unpleasant just for the sake of the benefits. Yet, what were she and Beast Boy doing with each other if not that?

Beast Boy said what he was thinking - that was true. But did that mean that his feelings never ran deeper than the emotion of the current moment? She couldn't make that claim. Beast Boy wasn't just a shallow simpleton like she so often implied. He was a person. A person with an incredible capacity to suffer put-downs and jabs and jeering, and still come back and truthfully say that he was glad to have her as a friend. Was it so difficult to believe that he felt the same way about Marie?

Raven watched as Beast Boy tried to stack the DVDs, and Marie knocked them down with her powers, prompting Beast Boy to tickle her in revenge.

Maybe it wasn't.

"Hey, Raven - do you wanna get in on this?" Beast Boy called, forgetting for a moment that he was angry, and gleefully continuing his tickle-assault, "I might need some back-up!"

She shook her head.

"I don't _do_ tickling."

"Aw, come on! You don't know until you try it!"

"I'll pass," Raven restacked the DVDs with her powers and lifted them onto her dresser so Beast Boy and Marie wouldn't accidentally crush them. "So," she stood up from the bed and walked over to them, "are we watching, or what?"

"NO!" Marie screamed, causing Beast Boy to let go of her in fear that he had somehow hurt her, "we can't watch until we have all the soupeyes!"

"Soups?" Beast Boy frowned, "why would we need soups?"

"These _supplies_ ," Raven translated, "don't happen to include snacks, do they?"

"Yeah!" Marie exclaimed, running to Raven's side in her haste to recite her list of, "chocolate an' ice cream an' gummies!"

"And popcorn!" Beast Boy added.

"And I suppose you plan on eating them in bed?" Raven asked, hoping the answer wouldn't be what she thought it would.

Marie nodded.

"Of course you do."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"No, not him..." Robin threw another folder into the 'no' pile.

He hadn't exactly thought that Starfire was going to be ok with his proposal, but he _had_ thought she might have let him spend some time with Ryan before he left. The little guy had been growing on him, and he didn't want the kid thinking he was being abandoned. Though Robin couldn't technically say that he wasn't. He preferred the term 'relocated'. Moved to another place, that Robin and Starfire just _happened_ to not occupy. Maybe. Judging by Beast Boy and Starfire's reactions, he wouldn't be surprised if they came back with a counter-proposal. If they came back at all.

Robin hadn't thought that his mandate was going to be readily accepted, nor did he take the decision to announce it lightly. But the facts were the facts; the kids were a liability, and the titans were simply not equipped to keep them safe, let alone raise them. He hoped his teammates would come to their senses before he had to resort to force. Not that he would fight them to the death, or anything. But there were people with whom his mentor associated, that would insist upon their involvement if Robin couldn't deal with it himself. And Robin wasn't sure he was capable of stopping them. _If_ they found out. Which, luckily, was not currently the case. Robin intended to keep it that way.

The only exception to that was the Doom Patrol.

Robin had their file in his 'maybe' pile and had already reviewed it multiple times, but he just couldn't classify it as of yet. His gut said that Mento wasn't a suitable guardian. But he _knew_ Elasti-Girl would be. And the kids would be part of a team that had dealt with heroes and villains with a whole number of superhuman abilities. They would have no problem adapting - especially when it came to Ryan's morphing. They did raise Beast Boy, after all.

Robin flipped through the file again, looking at the individual members' write-ups.

That was precisely the issue, though. Elasti-Girl seemed nice enough, and Beast Boy appeared to like her, but it was clear that Mento was in charge. Just like his own mentor was in charge. Always right. Always commanding. Always removed. What kind of an upbringing was that? He'd had his butler, true, but had that made it any better? Would having Elasti-Girl make up for having Mento?

Robin wasn't about to send Ryan and Marie to his adoptive parent's home, though he knew the man had both the means and space to accommodate them. Robin had wanted the kids to learn how to train - but only to protect themselves, and to control their powers. He didn't want them anywhere _near_ another battle. His mentor, however, might see it differently. Mento definitely would.

Robin slammed the file back onto the table, causing a number of folders to drop to the floor, spilling their contents. He growled at himself and ran a hand down his face before getting down on the floor and reorganizing.

The real thing to consider, was what kind of a life he wanted the kids to have. Did he want them to become superheroes, or civilians? Earthlings, or aliens? Weapons, or children?

In an ideal world, he'd want them to decide for themselves. Unfortunately, in their current situation, with their fairly limited options, the choice was probably going to be made for them. As of now, there didn't seem to be any medium where a retired superhero couple wanted to raise metahuman kids.

Foster care or adoption by non-heroes was out of the question. He couldn't expect a powerless couple from Jump City to be able to handle Marie when she had a temper tantrum, or save Ryan the next time he turned into a fish out of water and suffocated himself. But he did want the kids to have a family. A _real_ family. The kind he had before.

What Robin wanted - what he was pretty sure _all_ the titans wanted - was for Marie and Ryan to be safe and loved and cared for, and to go on to lead happy, healthy, fulfilling lives. Whether or not that meant that the titans themselves should be raising them was another matter entirely.

Robin stretched his arm beneath the desk to reach a few stray pages, and creased them as he dragged them back.

He was _not_ looking forward to tomorrow. He could already tell that it was going to be a complete mess. His only consolations were that Cyborg didn't have any biological or adoptive connection, and therefore no say, in what they did, and that Raven seemed to already have resigned herself to the situation. If she even cared at all.

Despite their shared mental link, there were times that even the boy wonder was shut out of Raven's mind, and couldn't sense her emotional state at all. He thus had no idea what she thought about the whole situation. But based on her actions, and what he knew after living with her for the better part of the last few years, he felt it safe to assume that she, like him, had a tenuous emotional connection to the children - more 'like' or 'tolerate' than 'love' - which hopefully meant that she would let him do what needed to be done with full support and understanding.

Robin put a hand on the top of the desk and hauled himself up off the ground. As he reorganized the folders, a glint of light caught his eye, and he pushed some loose papers on the edge of his current task area away.

"Ravager," he murmured to himself, picking up the metal disk.

He had almost forgotten. Well, not _forgotten_ , but _neglected_. Here he was, the leader of the teen titans, focusing on child care issues when he was _supposed_ to be taking down the newest threat to Jump City. Though Ravager had yet to act, that didn't mean he wasn't lethal. He had already proven himself to be an incredibly capable opponent. And he hadn't even attacked them yet.

If he did, though? Robin the social worker wasn't going to be much help. He needed to research, plan, _train_. Right now, at best, they'd be able to stop the kids from getting outright killed. That _wasn't_ good enough. Not for the titans.

But how many titans would be left, after tomorrow? Robin knew that Beast Boy, despite his impassioned speech, had to realize that _he_ of all people was probably least equipped to raise the kids. Combined with the fact that Raven and Cyborg, who everyone was aware was pretty much Beast Boy's best friend, were undoubtably staying, it was unlikely that he would actually be going anywhere.

Starfire, though? She was a powerhouse. Strong of spirit, mind, and, of course, body. She possessed all of the necessary attributes to persevere on her own - even if Ryan and Marie were with her. She was both a nurturer and a fighter, and there was no doubt in Robin's mind that if she thought her staying with the children was best, she wouldn't hesitate to take them. Even if it meant using force.

When it came to the logistical question of where she would go, Starfire had an extra option. Unlike her friends, she wasn't limited to the extended titans network and guardians of dubious intents. Starfire was Tamaranean royalty. The Grand Ruler of Tamaran was her _nanny_. If she wanted to move back to her home planet, she would be welcomed with open arms. The kids would have accomodations, a mother - an entire support system. They'd all be fine. Great, even. But would the team be ok? Would _Robin_?

He let his head fall into his hands, and ran his fingers through his hair.

In the future Starfire had seen, she had disappeared soon after the team's inception, and even _then_ it caused them to fall apart. Now, so much time after, would it be worse? No one was doing well, in that alternate timeline. Except Robin. _Nightwing_. The cool, dark, and handsome man Robin had become. The one Starfire had so admired. Would he ever exist, if Starfire left now? She said Nightwing was strong, and confident, and kind, and sure of himself - but how could Robin be any of those things, if the one person he counted on, the only person he _loved_ , pulled his world out from under him and shattered him? He'd be a husk of a boy, without her. Burying himself in research, refusing to talk, or eat, or smile - because who would care, at that point? Of course, he knew the team _cared_ , but only Starfire continuously tried to coax him out. Why would anyone even _want_ to try after he all but ran Starfire and the kids off of the team?

Robin tightened his grip on his head, trying to stem the headache he felt coming on.

What was he going to _do_ tomorrow? What would he even _say_? He'd been through countless options already, and not _one_ of them yielded a perfect solution. Was it even worth it to try? Was it fair? To decide without the other titans' input? Would Beast Boy and Raven let him dictate where their future child went? Would they...want to choose somewhere _else_?

"Ugh," he groaned, folding his arms on the table and resting his head.

It was all too much. Villains, he could handle. Insurance? Sure. Taxes? Fine. Public relations? Done. But deciding the fate of two children, one of which wasn't legally his, as well as the fate of the entire team, his own way of _life_...the complexities were overwhelming.

Maybe the best course of action would be to discuss the issue with the team as a whole. Robin had already made the definitive edict - the kids were leaving. But as for the logistics? That was a responsibility that, in this instance, he would be happy to share.

Robin took a last glance at the folders on the desk before standing up and turning off the light. His next task this evening would be getting some sleep.

He had a feeling that for tomorrow, he was going to need all the rest he could get.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Why're you maki me bruf my feef?" Marie asked through a mouthful of toothpaste, "we're gomma haf shnacks!"

"Rinse," Raven pushed a cup of water into her hands.

Marie took the cup, took a swig of water, and spat into the sink.

"You said sugar rots your teeth," Marie informed her, "so I gotta brush _after_ snacks. Not _before_."

Marie was correct. Raven, even in the present day, was well aware of the basics of dental hygiene. The only reason she was forcing Marie to brush her teeth was to get her _out_ of her bedroom. Beast Boy had volunteered to get the junk food, and Marie had happily volunteered to help, which Raven had a feeling was going to be a complete disaster ending with some sort of ice cream explosion that she would be forced to clean. Beast Boy was useless when it came to removing food stains. His laundry was evidence.

So Raven had held her back, at which point Marie began exploring the room, sticking her grubby little fingers in things she had no business touching. Which, in Raven's opinion, included everything from books to statues. The teeth-brushing was merely a ruse.

"I changed my mind."

"Ok," Marie accepted, without further protest, "do I hafta brush again _after_?"

"No."

Marie grinned.

"Am I done now?"

"Sure."

"'Cause I didn't count to sisty," she admitted.

"What?" Raven raised a brow.

"Uncle Robin says you gotta count to sisty two times, an' _then_ I brushed enough."

Raven rolled her eyes. It shouldn't have shocked her that Robin had a protocol for brushing teeth. He had one for everything else.

"Uncle Robin's not _here_ , is he?" Raven said pointedly.

Soon he wouldn't be anywhere _near_ her.

"Nope!" Marie jumped down from the counter where she sat, and landed next to Raven, "do you like "Cash Planet"?"

"I've never seen it," Raven replied absently, her mind searching for ways they could delay returning to her room, "but I was _in_ it once," she added as an afterthought, recalling the time when Beast Boy had accidentally sucked then all into the tv using Control Freak's high-tech remote.

"You were a actor?"

" _An_ ," Raven corrected automatically, "and _no_."

"But how-"

"Beast Boy touched something he shouldn't have," Raven recalled what the _real_ problem was that night. Without Beast Boy pressing buttons, the mission would have been exponentially easier.

Marie nodded.

"He does that a lot."

"So do you," Raven noted with ire, as Marie casually wiped her toothpaste-spotted hand on Raven's cloak.

"Can we go back to your room now?" Marie asked.

"...fine."

Raven led the way, briskly walking ahead of Marie in an effort to mitigate any damages by arriving at the room first. If she was lucky, she'd be able to bar Marie from entering. But that was wishful thinking. The ability to phase through portals was something she kind of wished Marie had _not_ inherited.

"Mommy!" Marie struggled to catch up, grabbing the edge of Raven's cloak and yanking on it so the fastening cut into the skin of Raven's neck.

"Ahh!" Raven cried out at the unexpected strangling, then, realizing what happened, ripped the cloak from Marie's hands and glared at her.

"WHY do you keep TOUCHING me?!" Raven demanded.

"Because you're _Mommy_ ," Marie stated, repeating her reply to Raven's earlier question.

Raven seethed. She didn't want to be mean on the kid's last night, but the day had been stressful, the tower was rife with very strong, very _negative_ emotions from all inhabitants, she let Beast Boy practically destroy her room with his tv setup, she had agreed to have not one, but TWO people spend an extended period of time in her room eating _food_ in her _bed_ , and she HADN'T MEDITATED. And now Marie kept TOUCHING her possessions, and her clothes, and she needed it to STOP. Or the evening was going to be a lot less enjoyable than Marie had hoped it would be.

"Well, _Mommy_ ," Raven mimicked derogatorily, "needs SPACE."

"Daddy says he can never get enough of me," Marie sated, presumably repeating future Beast Boy's words.

"Do _I_ say that?" Raven folded her arms, fully expecting a negative response.

"You don't say anything," Marie stated.

"I find that hard to believe," Raven called her bluff.

Marie had said _plenty_ of unflattering things that future Raven had said. Though technically most of them had been overheard rather than directed at her.

"You..." Marie paused, furrowing her brows as she tried to find the right words to express herself, "you're always _there_."

"...what?" Raven unfolded her arms. Why did this kid never have anything _normal_ to say?

"You don't talk like Daddy does," Marie attempted to clarify.

"I guess the future's not _all_ bad, then," Raven deadpanned, her words flying over the head of her audience member.

"You... _do_ stuff," Marie smiled, proud of herself for finding the correct wording. In her mind, anyway.

"What kind of 'stuff'?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Like...when I'm playing with Ryan, and you come over and meditate next to us."

"Shocking."

"And," Marie continued on, unperturbed, "when I'm playing with Daddy an' you make jokes about him."

"Ok..."

Apparently the new Raven was in no way different from the old one. Personality-wise, anyway. Her life choices were clearly a point of contention though.

"An' when I'm sick an' you bring me tea, an' when I fall asleep when we're all watching a movie an' you put a blanket on me."

"How sweet," Raven commented, her voice void of emotion.

She really hadn't meant for this to become a whole discussion. She had kind of hoped that future her said something like 'good kids go to sleep in their own rooms', or something, and that Marie would leave. She didn't exprect the kid to start listing random, trivial things she did in her everyday life. Regardless, none of what Marie was saying was actually answering her question. If future Raven was the same as she was now, she _still_ wouldn't want Marie smothering her.

"An' when you let me come an' sit on your lap when you're reading an' you read to me."

Well, having Marie in her lap wasn't something the current Raven particularly enjoyed, but education _was_ important. Marie certainly wasn't learning anything academic from Beast Boy.

"An' when I'm playing videogames with Ryan an' Daddy an' you tap me so I can see you take Daddy's controller away with your powers so I win."

Raven supposed poking counted as touching, but it was pretty minor as far as physical contant went. And she _did_ enjoy having an audience when she tormented her green teammate.

"An' when you walk by when I'm doing stuff an' squeeze my shoulder an' pat my head."

Raven frowned. That...didn't sound like her.

"An' when I'm apposed to be sleeping an' you come into my room and kiss me _here_ ," Marie jabbed her index finger into her forehead, "an' pet my hair, an' one time I peeked an' you saw I was awake an' you got MAD and yelled at me and said I was 'apposed to be sleeping 'cause it was late."

"Oh," Raven forced herself to maintain her impassive expression, "so I _do_ say something."

"I mean, you can _talk_ ," Marie ammended, "but Daddy _says_ stuff 'cause he loves me. You _do_ stuff - like pat me on the head," she reiterated.

Raven regarded the little girl before her. The Raven Marie had described was not the one standing in front of her, yet the similarities were striking.

There were many things about her future self that Raven could not fathom. She had no idea why she decided to marry Beast Boy instead of strangling him. She didn't know what cataclysmic event made her consciously chose to have Marie, despite knowing the risk she posed. She couldn't begin to guess at why she wanted to be a parent in the first place.

But what Raven had come to understand through Marie's brief, and simple, sentences, was what kind of a mother she would be, should she chose to become one.

Raven was well aware that Marie spent much of her time with Beast Boy. Playing, torturing, talking - he was her closest friend, it seemed. Aside from Ryan. Beast Boy was effusive, talkative, emotional; when he was happy he laughed, when he was angry he growled, when he was sad, he cried - and he was always verbal about it. The titans had come to expect it of him. It made sense that, as a father, he would do the same. Beast Boy was the parent that _told_ you they were proud of you, and that you made them happy, and that they loved you. The kind that spun you around when you'd done something amazing, and hugged you when you got home because they missed you, and played your favorite games because seeing you happy made _them_ happy. If that was the kind of parent Beast Boy was...what did that make Raven?

Raven did not consider herself mother-material. She was still adament that she should never have children. Still appalled that her future self had chosen such a path. And honestly, based upon what she had seen, she had assumed that Beast Boy was the one that did the actual parenting. Future Raven's role, as present Raven interpreted it, was one of a bodyguard. Only to be called upon in times of serious stress and turmoil. When someone was angry, or scary, or sad, Raven was enlisted, used as a wall between Marie and the rest of the cruel world. But once the threat had passed? Life resumed as normal, and Raven was free to step away, free of any emotional liability, restrained only by the bonds of logistical responsibility. Feeding, bathing, clothing. Such was the life of future Raven, same as in the present. Or so Raven had thought.

Marie's words didn't contradict this interpretation, exactly. On the surface, Raven's observations had been accurate. She was as involved as she needed to be, left the emotional stuff to Beast Boy, and otherwise kept to her preferred diversions. Marie never denied any of it. All she had said, was that her mother didn't communicate with her in words, but in gestures.

Future Raven read aloud because she wanted to make sure Marie was well-read, and smart, and educated, and let her sit on her lap because their proximity, however uncomfortable, was probably the only thing convincing Marie to stay put. Future Raven forced herself to touch Marie's arm so she could alert her to something she'd find funny, like stealing a video game controller from Beast Boy, because she wanted to be a part of what made Marie happy. Future Raven meditated by Marie as she played, or squeezed her shoulder or brushed her hair as she passed, even though these motions were respectively distracting and uncomfortable, because she wanted Marie to know that she was always being watched over. That she was always there if Marie needed her. All that made sense, in its own way.

But then, future Raven had done something unexpected. Future Raven snuck into Marie's room, after she was asleep, to kiss her head, to say she loved her - but not because she _had_ to. Marie was supposed to be _asleep_. She wasn't even supposed to _know_. Because that _wasn't_ done for Marie's benefit. Which led to only one conclusion...future Raven _didn't_ mind having Marie in her physical space. Future Raven actually sought it out - but she did so under cover of night and slumber because she didn't want to make a habit of it. She didn't want Marie to expect something she couldn't bring herself to give. Because, despite the decisions she had made, that brought that beautiful little girl into the world, future Raven could not deny the selfishness of it, or the twinge of regret and uncertainty she felt every time Marie lost control. Or broke something. Or hurt someone.

No. Future Raven could not get past the guilt she felt for choosing her child over the rest of the world. Because every time she saw Marie, she remembered. Future Raven couldn't condone what she had done. But she could repent. She could punish. She could deny herself the most basic of maternal desires. To hold, to hug, to smother her child with kisses. But even though Raven had chosen to abstain, she made sure that there was no way that little girl was going to grow up feeling worthless. Feeling like future Raven had. Marie would know how much joy she brought, and how very important she was to her. Marie would know she loved. Even if future Raven couldn't bring herself to freely say it.

And, for the first time, Raven understood her future self. She hadn't been reckless or shortsighted or living in a bubble - she had struggled with the same things present Raven did, when thinking about the implications of having a child. She had weighed the facts, and made her decision. But not without her doubts. And Raven understood, _finally_ , what kind of mother she would grow to be - if she so chose. One whose child knew she loved them, regardless of how, or why, or _if_ they should ever have been born in the first place.

What more had Raven wanted, really, from Arella?

"...now?"

"What?" Raven's attention was brought back to Marie.

"I _said_ ," Marie reiterated sassily, "can you get Daddy now?"

Raven stared into the image of her younger self, and the glare that so mirrored her own.

"Fine," Raven took the girl's hand, giving it a small squeeze that caused Marie's brow to furrow, "let's go."


	49. Chapter 49

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 49

Cyborg KNEW there was something wrong.

It wasn't that Robin had suggested the kids be sent away, or that Starfire was probably breaking up wth him as a direct result. It wasn't that Beast Boy had freaked out at both him, AND Raven, and that the latter might have an emotional breakdown as a result. In fact, he was hardly thinking about any of the night's events, however tense they may have been.

What Cyborg was thinking of, what bothered him more than Beast Boy's insensitive jab about him being a robot destined to be alone forever, was the hand. And the arm attached to it.

Cyborg had already tracked down the video feeds from the nearby traffic and security cams around the park. Those that survived the battle, anyway. But most of the footage was useless. Dust clouds from the dirt and rubble, the occasional cameo from a titan or a member of the Hive Five. Absolutely _nothing_ capturing the mysterious arm Cyborg had seen through the smoke.

Now, Cyborg _may_ have had a brain that was half computer, but that didn't mean he committed every single image he'd ever seen to his hard drive. There weren't enough terabytes to capture the infinite sights and sounds and experiences of the human condition. So Cyborg's programming had been set to pick and choose. To act as closely as possible to a normal brain. His memory was technically photographic, yes, but the images weren't kept for an eternity. He had a cycle during which the memories were cleaned, and organized, and summarized, so that he could retain only the most important, and recent, and relevant parts, just like everyone else. So, though he _did_ remember the arm he'd seen, and was able to access a rather grainy image saved to memory from his eye cam, he was having difficulty placing it. He had a certain sense, though, that this arm was of grave importance.

But why an arm, of all things? It wasn't like Cyborg was in need of a new one. And with the level of abstraction in the image, all he could really make out was the general shape, and a glint of an orange-bronze with some darker areas, gray, or possibly black. Maybe dark blue? The external cameras had been useless in providing a cross-reference.

Cyborg scanned his work station, wondering what he could have missed. The Hive Five attacked, there were no other people except for the titans and their kids in sight, yet somehow this magical arm swooped in and interfered. Why did that seem so _familiar_?

He took another glance around the papers he'd gathered from the past week. Genetic test results, DNA mapping, x-rays, medical records - and then his eye caught something that, between the children's arrival and now, had seemed almost inconsequential, specifically because there was no way they could identify the necessary component of the image.

Cyborg lifted the forgotten print, a picture from their security camera, which, he noted to himself, _still_ had to be upgraded, and pulled up the picture from his memory onto his computer screen. He held the two side by side, and his eyes widened.

There was no difference between them. The shape - even the angle of the arms and positioning of the hands were the same. But what was most obvious was the combination of shiny metal and cloth, coming together in a seamless sleeve. One working to help Marie and Ryan, the other, quite clearly, pushing them through a portal to the past.

Cyborg fell back into his chair, and looked at the print in his hand again. Was the owner of that arm a friend, then? Did they send Marie and Ryan back in time to save them? He had to assume so. Why else would the present-day arm have tried to help them? And was it the same person from the same time? Or a future person that followed them to the past, or a present person who, in the future, would go and send Marie and Ryan to past or present their time... Cyborg's eyes started spinning, and he smacked himself on the side of the head to stop his logic loop.

He stood up - he HAD to tell Robin. But, he remembered, Robin was dealing with where to send the kids. So maybe Raven, since she might be able to do some magic stuff to locate the mysterious arm...but she was pretty mad too. Plus it was her last night with Marie. Though Cyborg honestly didn't know how she felt about the separation. His bet was 50/50 when it came to her caring vs. not. Beast Boy and Star were both feeling down, and usually weren't much help when it came to research of this sort anyway.

Raven was really the best option. Especially when it came to time travel - she'd helped him get back to the present day when he was sent to the past that one time. But she had made it clear, when they were discussing it afterwards, that there was no way she would be able to find anyone in a future they were _meant_ to be in. It was the temporal anomaly itself that had allowed her to find him, along with a bunch of other electronic signal stuff that he really didn't want to have to dig up the information for because it was irrelevant to the here and now and this crucial discovery that, now that he was thinking about it, maybe wasn't so crucial.

He sat back down.

There was nothing they were going to be able to do about it tonight, anyway. And there was no guarantee that this new information would even be helpful to their immediate situation - it could take weeks to find them, months, even. There was no way Robin was going to let them stall and hang onto Ryan and Marie until then.

Cyborg ran a hand over the back of his head and sighed.

It had been a long day. It was probably going to be an even longer one tomorrow. His information could wait. Right now, the most helpful thing he could do was get some sleep.

Cyborg put down the picture and got up from his chair, walking over to his metal bed to recharge his rapidly draining battery for the night.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"She passed out."

"So?" Beast Boy asked, eyes still glued to the screen.

" _So_ , that means you can le-"

"SHHH!" Beast Boy batted in Raven's general direction, "this is the BEST part!"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"...you don't need to see out identifi-HEY!" Beast Boy's quoting was interrupted by a black-encased remote turning off the tv, "why'd you DO that?!"

"She's _asleep_ ," Raven gestured to the little girl curled up between them, "which means it's time for you to GO."

"But-"

"I already let you sit here and get popcorn all over my bed," Raven scowled as Beast Boy guiltily flicked a stray kernel onto the floor, "but the party's over, so _get out of my room_."

"Well," Beast Boy folded his arms belligerently, "Marie says it's _my_ room _too_."

Raven's face grew a deep, demonic red, and Beast Boy gulped, immediately dropping his smug expression.

"Ok!" He squeaked, "I'll just, uh, get my stuff..."

Beast Boy moved to leave the bed, but something smacked into his stomach and knocked him back.

"Hey!" He cried, looking from the black band around his torso to Raven, "don't tell me to get out then not let me leave!"

"That's not me," Raven stated.

"Oh..." Beast Boy turned to the little girl and shook her shoulder gently, "hey, Marie? Can you maybe let me get up?"

Marie remained immobile, breathing deeply.

Beast Boy looked from Marie to a still-glaring Raven.

"Marie?" He tried, louder, "I _really_ need you to wake up now..."

Marie mumbled in her sleep, and the band around Beast Boy dragged him towards her, until she was all but snuggling into his chest.

"Um...it looks like I might _not_ be leaving after all..."

Raven raised a hand to her head and groaned. Nothing was ever easy with this child.

"Marie," Raven chastised, grabbing her arm with more force than Beast Boy had, "you can't just-"

OOMPH

Raven was dragged in the same manner Beast Boy was, uncomfortably close to Marie, and, by extension, Beast Boy.

"Hi?" Beast Boy croaked, unsure of what terrifying torture Raven was about to inflict upon him now that their faces were barely a foot apart.

At this distance, he was close enough to smell her breath...which meant _she_ was close enough to smell _his_. Oh no! Beast Boy's eyes grew wide. When was the last time he'd even brushed his teeth? Maybe the chocolate made it smell sweeter? But sugar _never_ made his breath smell good - hadn't Robin made some comment about it causing germs in your mouth or something that smelled super gross? Beast Boy was pretty sure he had. But popcorn didn't have sugar! Maybe that hid it a little?

Raven watched as Beast Boy's face contorted into various expressions of fear and anxiety, clearly stressing about something she _knew_ was ridiculous - when the object of his terror was bodily harm caused by Raven, he always made sure to keep his eyes trained on her - not spastically darting his eyes like a madman.

"BEAST BOY," she snapped, drawing him back to the present.

"Don't kill me!" He responded automatically, shutting his eyes and flinching to avoid any black-tentacle-y trauma.

Raven rolled her eyes. Was that how her so-called-friends greeted her now? Pleading for their lives? Trigon would be proud.

"Calm _down_ ," she instructed, "as much as I hate to admit it, this _isn't_ your fault."

"...really?" Beast Boy opened an eye.

She _really_ wanted to say something biting, but the fact was that, since Beast Boy wasn't genetically related to Marie, and future Raven apparently wanted the kid, she couldn't exactly blame him. Raven was substantially more instrumental in the creation of the current situation than he was. But Azar, was it hard not to try and pin it on him anyway.

"I guess this is how we're spending the night then?" Beast Boy questioned the obvious, cautiously opening his other eye.

"It seems like it," Raven responded, more than a hint of irritation in her voice.

In the ensuing silence, Beast Boy tried to look anywhere but at Raven. He didn't want to see her reaction when she finally smelled him. That being said, Beast Boy was terrible with awkward silences - he had this insatiable need for there to be talking at almost all times, and this was, unfortunately, no exception.

"I..." he forced himself to look at Raven, "I bet this isn't how you saw your last night going."

"My last night?" Raven raised a brow.

"With Marie?" Beast Boy asked, incredulously, "you know, the kid that Robin's taking tomorrow?!"

"He's not _taking_ her anywhere," Raven informed him.

"FINE, sending her away - WHATEVER!" Beast Boy dismissed the semantics, "don't you care?! AT ALL?!"

The anger he had felt before the movie had cooled to a simmer, but now, stuck next to the very person that riled him up in the first place, it was back with full force, boiling well over his usual limit.

Raven glared cooly back at him, refusing to engage.

"She NEEDS us, Raven!" He cried, "can't you SEE that?!"

"Lower your voice," Raven commanded in monotone, clearly referencing the sleeping girl Beast Boy was talking about.

"What's gonna happen when she wakes up and we're not THERE?! Or if she's awake when Robin takes her?!" He hissed, quieter than before but with no less intensity, "what's she gonna _do_?! She could hurt someone!"

A wave of hurt passed over Raven's face, but she was quick to conceal it, and Beast Boy was too caught up in his own emotions to notice. She had thought that he liked Marie for who she was, accepting the bad because he valued the good - just like with her. But...was _this_ how he really saw Marie? Saw _Raven_? As a ticking time-bomb he felt it his duty to defuse?

Raven moved to speak, but Beast Boy didn't give her the opportunity.

"What if she misses us?" He demanded, "what if she can't sleep and she's crying for us? We wouldn't even know!"

Raven tried to speak a second time, but Beast Boy ignored her attempt.

"What if she doesn't like where Robin takes her? What if they don't have bath time there? WHAT IF THEY DON'T HAVE WAFFLES?"

Raven furrowed her brow.

"What if they're _mean_ to her? Like, what if they _yell_ at her? And don't give her hugs or tell her she's special or anything? They might not even have crayons or video games - how's she supposed to have any _fun_?! What i-"

"BEAST BOY," Raven spoke over him in a loud whisper, "she _will_."

"You don't _know_ that!" Beast Boy growled, "she could-"

"I _do_ know that," Raven interrupted, "I'll make sure she does."

"Oh yeah?" Beast Boy challenged, "how?"

"Because," Raven said, nonchallant in her response, "I'm going with her."

"Robin told you where she's going?" Beast Boy asked, genuinely curious, "where is it? Why didn't he tell the rest of us?"

"Robin didn't tell me anything."

Beast Boy's fang poked out of his downturned lips.

"Then how-"

"Robin's not sending her anywhere. I'm _taking_ her away."

"You're...what?" Beast Boy's eyes widened.

"You see why word choice matters, now?" Raven asked dryly.

"Where...where're you taking her?"

"To Tamaran, probably. If Starfire's ok with arranging it with Galfore. I don't really want a bunch or angry soldiers threatening me when we get there."

Beast Boy's brow knit in confusion as he struggled to understand.

This was Raven. _Raven_. RA-VEN. The girl who had a three day mission with those superpowered kids that one time and called Robin for help, like, _ten_ times! Or would have, anyway, if she hadn't kept getting Beast Boy instead. This was the person that still didn't like _hugs_. The girl that hated everything mushy. She was grossed out by boogers and dirt and stuff that kids get into ALL THE TIME. She didn't want kids. She didn't _like_ kids. She obviously didn't like Ryan _or_ Marie. She hadn't hung out with them by choice, like, _ever_. So why was she volunteering to take Marie all of a sudden?

"Are you gonna...drop her off?" He guessed, "or-"

"No," Raven shut down his question with finality, "I'm going to stay with her," Beast Boy opened his mouth, " _permanently_."

"But...why...?"

"Because," and this was where Raven and Beast Boy differed, because, unlike Beast Boy, whose blabbering what-ifs ended up being more about his fear for the girl's wellbeing rather than that of the environment around her, Raven's main objective was, "I can't let her destroy everything around her."

"Huh?"

"She needs someone to teach her how to control her powers. My future self clearly started working with her, but she's _four_. She has tantrums now, but when she gets older, she's going to have even more emotions to deal with - it's going to make things substantially more complicated. She needs someone to help her. Like I did."

"So, what, then?" Beast Boy demanded, "you're going to treat her like those stupid monks?"

"The monks of Azar were _not_ -"

"How're you going to make sure she's HAPPY?! 'Cause you weren't!" Beast Boy stabbed, yet again, at Raven's fragile core, "how're YOU supposed to make sure Marie knows someone loves her if NO ONE'S EVER LOVED YOU?!"

Beast Boy realized too late the impact of his words, and fell silent. He started breathing more shallowly - he didn't know if hearing his loud inhales would cause Raven to finally snap. Her face was impassive, of course, but Beast Boy knew better. What he didn't know, was what was going on behind it. He usually had a pretty good guess - normally the answer was anger and debating how best to punish him - but this time? His guess was as good as anyone's.

"I thought...I thought you..the titans...I thought..." Raven said softly, looking into her pillow, "...I thought we were family..."

"I didn't mean-"

"I didn't know what it was like, for people to _like_ me, or even want to be around me," Raven whispered, "until I met all of you. You didn't know what I was...but I knew how you'd react if you did."

"But," Beast Boy jumped at the chance for redemption, "you were wrong! Remember?"

"But I didn't know that, then. And I was just...so... _different_ , from all of you. I didn't like being in the sun, or playing volleyball, or video games, and I was _creepy_ ," Beast Boy winced at the term he had so carelessly thrown at her in years past, "and I didn't think it was possible - why would any of you _want_ to like me? But then you," she raised her eyes to Beast Boy, referring, for the first time, to him in specific, "and Cyborg helped me fight my father's influence, that time you broke into my room and touched my mirror."

"Yeah," Beast Boy smiled guiltily, trying to lighten the mood, "sorry about that."

"And you told me that we were friends. And for the first time...I actually _believed_ it. And then...all of you were there for me - always. And when Trigon tried to take over, all of you tried to _save_ me. It would have been easy for you to..." she trailed off, unwilling to verbalize what _else_ might have been done to prevent the coming of Trigon, "...but you _didn't_. Because...family loves each other...and...we're _family_...right?"

She looked into Beast Boy's eyes, and, in a rare moment, one that Beast Boy hadn't witnessed since the day that Malchior broke her heart, Beast Boy could see beyond Raven's outer shell. Beyond the walls of stone and logic, of cement and reason, to the girl beneath. A girl whose self-worth was never shattered, because there was never any to begin with. A girl who expected to be rejected, and shunned, and feared, because of what she was. A girl who desperately, _desperately_ wanted to be told that the only thing she'd been holding onto, the only entity that gave her worth and mirth and purpose in this world, that the titans, her _family_ , felt the same way she did about them.

"Yeah," Beast Boy reached for her hand, and laid his white-gloved fingers on her own, "we are."

Raven smiled, for a moment. A weak one, but so rare that even so, despite its smallness, Beast Boy's was still dazzled.

He smiled back.

Raven pulled her hand away.

"So, no," Raven returned to her last point, her tone monotonous, as if the last few moments never happened, "I _don't_ love Marie. Not yet. But, unfortunately, she's still family. And, in my experience," she smiled again, but passed it off as a smirk, "they tend to grow on you."

Beast Boy grinned, but, after a moment, the joy wore off, and his mind returned to the facts at hand.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just send Marie to Azara-"

"I thought you said you wanted her to have waffles and crayons?" Raven deflected, unwilling to discuss the possible destruction of her home dimension. She'd shared enough for one evening.

"I'm guessing they don't sell waffle mix there?" Beast Boy asked, jokingly.

"They've never even seen a waffle iron."

"Whoa."

They fell into a comfortable lull, which Beast Boy, of course, was compelled to break.

"Why do you think we decided to have another kid? If Marie was so difficult?"

"What?" Raven was not prepared for the sudden shift in conversation.

"Like, if it was _that_ hard to get Marie to control her powers - I mean, bad enough that you had to be working with her all the time - then why would we have another one?"

"I...don't think Mark was _planned_ , if that's what you mean. As far as getting rid of him..."

Raven swallowed. She didn't want to get into a whole discussion about her personal views when it came to unwanted pregnancies.

"...I guess I thought he deserved a fair chance," Raven offered instead, " _I_ got one."

Just as she expected, Beast Boy didn't pick up on the nuance of her comment, and smiled, clearly attributing her "chance" as the chance her team gave her when they accepted her into their group.

"Yeah, I mean, everyone deserves a fair chance," he agreed, "but...I don't know how we'd do it, Raven," he grew serious, "I mean, you saw Ryan today, right?"

Raven nodded. How could any of them forget the child-sized Beast amongst them?

"If that's something that can be passed down...I don't know if we could... _do_ that, you know?"

Raven _did_ know. A Beast wielding her powers would be devastating in their attack. Especially since the Beast's only emotion seemed to be uncontrollable rage. Which was traditionally when Raven's powers were at their strongest.

"At least we know why I didn't want to tell Robin," Raven mused.

"Yeah. I don't get why _I_ wanted to. But, I guess it's kind of like now, right?"

Raven eyes him quizzically.

"You know, since Robin's all like "the kids are a threat" and you're all "then I'm leaving with them!" Right?"

"But Robin _knows_ -"

"Yeah, _this_ time. All I'm saying is that you like to avoid things," Beast Boy shrugged. Then, before Raven could defend herself, added, "and I like to do things head-on! I bet I wanted to tell Robin so he'd know we weren't just, like, leaving without saying goodbye 'cause we hated everybody."

Raven noted the slight sadness in Beast Boy's face as he said his last few words, and understood the meaning behind it.

"Beast Boy, I'm not leaving because I _hate_ anybody. I'm leaving because I _have_ to. And I'm not exactly thrilled about it."

"But...aren't you going to miss us?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven was quiet.

"Because I'm going to miss _you_."

" _Sure_ ," Raven brushed off his sincere confession, "if you're _really_ going to miss being insulted _that_ much, I'm sure Cyborg would be happy to fill in."

"That's not what I mean," Beast Boy refused to accept her attempt to cheapen his words, "if you and Marie go away...everything's going to be different. You know?"

He looked at Raven's face, hoping for a semblance of empathy, but she refused to meet his gaze.

"If Marie's gone...who's gonna wake me up in the morning? There's no point getting up for breakfast if we can't force Robin to make us waffles."

"You can make waffles yourself."

"Duh," Beast Boy acknowledged, "but it won't be any _fun_. And I'm gonna have to start sleeping alone again."

"You've complained literally every time we were forced to sleep with her."

"Well, _yeah_ ," Beast Boy admitted, annoyed at her belittling, "but I'm kinda getting used to it. And who'm I gonna cream in Cart Crash?"

"It's not like you beat her _now_ ," Raven jabbed.

Beast Boy ignored her.

"It's just...it's gonna be weird without her. You know?"

"It's always hard when someone leaves," Raven offered.

"Yeah, it's gonna be hard, with Marie gone and everything," Beast Boy nodded, "but it's gonna be harder with you gone, too."

"The more people that leave, the harder it is," Raven commented.

"But it's not just _people_ , you know? It's YOU."

"What do you mean "it's me"?"

"I mean I'm gonna miss you, Raven. Like, if you leave..." Raven waited as he searched for the right words, "what am I supposed to _do_? You're always saying how all I do is play video games and watch tv and play pranks and annoy people and stuff," he explained, "but you know what I spend, like half my time doing?"

Raven was positive that, with all of the other listed diversions, there was _no_ way that math was accurate, but allowed him to continue uninterrupted.

"Thinking about _you_."

Raven's brow furrowed.

"W-what?"

"Like if you're not chillin' with us in the living room, and everyone else is there, I think about how you might be feeling down. And if you're there, but you're, like, meditating or reading or something, and not talking with us or making fun of me or something, I feel bad 'cause you're not being part of everything. And that time...with Malchior," he saw her wince at the name, "when you didn't come out of your room for like five days, I snuck in and spied on you because I couldn't stop wondering what was happening in there, and if you were ok, or upset, or mad at me or whatever," he admitted, "and when you ARE around, and you're just sitting there all bored and stuff, I'm always thinking of how I can make you laugh - it's like my life mission at this point," he declared in a way that made it unclear as to whether or not he was serious, "'cause when you're happy, it's awesome!" He smiled, fangs gleaming, "But when you're sad...I feel really bad. Like, I feel like I have to make you feel better - 'cause I _want_ to, not," he added, defending himself from the idea that it was, "because Cyborg says I _have_ to. Even when it's _not_ totally my fault."

Raven's expression was stoic as she listened to the flurry of words that had just spewed forth from Beast Boy's mouth. Naturally, he took her silence to be an invitation to continue.

"If you're gone...I can't make sure you're gonna have someone to make sure you're included. I don't know if anyone's gonna be there to make sure you're ok. If you're sad, I'm not even gonna _know_. And what if no one tries to make you laugh anymore?" He asked earnestly, "how am I supposed to just _not_ care? How am I supposed to stop thinking about you all the time?"

Raven cleared her throat, supressing the flood of emotion at his unexpectedly sincere words.

"It wouldn't be any different if you came with us, you know," she guessed, correctly, at his thought process, "you'd just have the same problems with everyone else. You'd just be thinking about Robin and Starfire and Cyborg all the time and wondering what _they're_ doing."

"But I _wouldn't_ be," Beast Boy insisted.

"And why not?" Raven asked, unimpressed.

"Because I'd talk to them, like, _all_ the time. Maybe I could even play games Cy through the web! If they have that on other planets," he shifted off-topic, "I bet they do, right? I mean, if Robin can talk to people on other planets on the moni-"

"And why don't you think you'd get to talk to _us_? Marie's obsessed with you," she gestured to the child that was now gripping a piece of Beast Boy's uniform in her fist as she slept, "she'll definitely want to speak to you."

"But _you_ won't," Beast Boy stated.

"I would if I had something important to say."

"Would you?" Beast Boy frowned, "it's just...you kind of remind me of _her_ , sometimes."

"Of _who_?" Raven asked.

"Terra."

"I have _nothing_ in common with-"

"You totally DO," Beast Boy insisted, "I mean, you're different 'cause, like, you'd NEVER wanna do any of the stuff she wanted to do - but you both...kind of...like being alone."

 _Like_ being alone? Raven frowned. Raven didn't _like_ being alone...not _all_ the time, anyway. Sometimes it was just a necessity.

"Like, when Terra had problems controlling her powers," Beast Boy continued, "she didn't let us help her. She just...ran away. I _tried_ talking to her. I _tried_ to get her to come back...but she didn't want to listen. And then she went...with Slade..."

He trailed off, lost in memory for a moment, before pulling himself back to the present.

"You're like that too, Raven. You never want our help. Even when you need it. If you leave...you're just gonna be... _gone_."

"That's not true."

"Yeah it is," Beast Boy countered miserably, "you're not really gonna let me know if something bad happens, or if you're having problems with Marie, because you think you're better off alone."

Raven shifted her eyes away.

"You never wanna hang out with me when we're in the same _room_. There's no _way_ you're gonna pick up when I call from the other side of the universe, and you're definitely not gonna call me. _Especially_ not me. Unless you just want someone to make fun of," Raven winced, "'cause I'm just a punching bag, right?"

Raven thought she saw a bead of wetness in his eyes as he shut them, but whatever was there was gone when he opened them again, and looked, defeated, into his pillow.

"For your information," she said, causing Beast Boy to look up, confused by the fact that she had chosen to respond at all, "you _are_ a punching bag."

Beast Boy scowled.

"I know you aren't familiar with the equipment in the gym," Raven insulted mildly, referencing his continuous attempts to get out of training, "but the punching bag is what Robin uses most."

"So?"

"Do you know _why_?"

"Because he's a control freak and wants to smack all of us for not listening to every little thing he says but takes it out on the bag instead?" Beast Boy suggested in an irritated tone, unsure of why they were talking about his least favorite member of the team all of a sudden.

"Right...sort of," Raven ammended, "it lets him blow off steam. Robin gets frustrated pretty easily."

" _Robin? No._ " Beast Boy's words dripped with sarcasm.

"But taking all of that out on an inatimate object lets him release his negative emotions in a non-destructive way."

"I bet the punching bag doesn't see it that way," Beast Boy huffed.

"Do you know what would happen if he _didn't_ beat up the punching bag?"

"He'd be less buff?" Beast Boy guessed.

"He'd take it out on a criminal. Or us. He might not physically hurt us," Raven clarified, "but without an outlet, his anger would be growing inside of him, and he'd start blowing up at everyone around him," Raven said, "you've seen what he can be like to Star."

Beast Boy knew. It wasn't a secret that Starfire refused to leave the Boy Wonder alone when he was about to spit fire, and was thus usually the recipient of the most vicious verbal attacks. Beast Boy felt sorry for her.

"I... _also_ have anger issues," Raven admitted reluctantly, though both she and Beast Boy were well aware that she did, "and punching things doesn't really do anything for me."

"Yeah..." Beast Boy wasn't sure how any of this had to do with her abandoning them, but listened nonetheless.

"But you know what does?"

Beast Boy shook his head.

"Taking it out on YOU."

"Gee, _thanks_ ," he rolled his eyes, "glad I'm just a-"

"You're not JUST anything," Raven interrupted, with more force than Beast Boy had expected, "taking my anger out on you, because you invaded my space or were being loud or any of the other irritating things you do," Beast Boy scowled at the continued insults to his person, "stops me from blowing up at civilans or criminals or whoever else gets in my way. I know you'll be ok, if I explode something in your face or fling you across the room or insult you - you're resilient, Beast Boy," she said earnestly, "and not everyone else is. You...always come back..." she trailed off, and Beast Boy waited for her to finish, "without you...I'd be..." she paused again, "uncontrollable. I'd be a monster."

"You're not a monster-"

"You know what I mean," Raven cut him off.

Beast Boy opened his mouth, but Raven shushed him with her next words.

"Of _course_ I'm going to speak to you. Of _course_ I'm going to call. Who else am I going to make fun of? And blow up at? And insult? And hurt? Who else is going to let me do ALL that...and still care if I'm ok?" Raven demanded, "Who else is going to bother me until I tell them what's going on? Who else is going to notice when I'm upset? Who else is going to care if I laugh? Who else is going to say EXACTLY the right thing at EXACTLY the right time so I don't break down and lose control?"

Beast Boy stared at her, wide-eyed, unsure of how to respond.

"So no, I'm not going to call all the time, and I won't always pick up when you call me, but the titans are my FAMILY. I would NEVER stop speaking to any of you. ESPECIALLY you."

And with that, Raven managed a quick turn within her black waist-band, and promptly pulled the sheet up to her chin, so Beast Boy was no longer able to see her face.

"Um...Raven?" He reached for her shoulder, unsure as to whether or not she had really said what he thought she did.

"Go to sleep, Beast Boy," she flinched away from his touch, and he returned his arm to his side of the bed.

"Ok...sorry..."

She didn't respond.

Beast Boy lay slowly back onto his own pillow, half occupied by Marie, and absentmindedly pet the girl's head.

What had Raven just _said_?

He turned his gaze back to her still form, his animal ears picking up on a heartbeat that was far too rapid for someone who was actually asleep.

What had she meant, exactly, when she said "especially" him? What did that MEAN? That she still needed him because he was her human punching bag? That explanation seemed to become less important as she kept talking though. After that she was saying things like "who else wants to make me laugh" and "who else even cares about me"? And those weren't very punching-bag-y things to say. Those seemed... _personal_. Things that Beast Boy did, instead of what she did to HIM. Things she liked. Things she liked MORE than what the other titans ever did for her.

Beast Boy grinned.

As always, he was never quite sure where he stood with Raven, but it was nice to know that, whatever he was, he was _more_ than just a friend. He was a _close_ friend. Maybe even a BEST friend. And for the first time, Beast Boy could see how, _maybe_ , in some twisted totally weird and crazy and unexpected way, he and Raven might be happy together, some day.

"'Night Raven," he whispered, reaching for her shouder again and squeezing it.

"Go to sleep," she hissed, "and DON'T. TOUCH. ME."

He withdrew his hand.

Maybe in a bajillion years or so.


	50. Chapter 50

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 50

Cyborg indulged in another few moments of shut-eye after his sleep cycle program had ended, bringing with it the jolt of electronic adrenaline signaling that it was time for the robotic teen to start the day. That was something he missed, from before. Sleeping in. He was like Beast Boy, once. Not when he had football practice or class or anything like that - Cyborg had always been responsible. But on Saturdays? When there were no away games, or plans with friends, or an untouched pile of homework? Cyborg could sleep for _hours_.

Sometimes he'd wake up at 6am, like every other day, and he'd pull the covers back over his head and drive right back into dreamland. But now? Half his body was mechanical - all it took for him to get up was a blast of electricity. His human half needed sleep, but not nearly as much as he once did. It wasn't the same, anyway.

It had been weird, those first few nights, when his father had taken him home, after his surgeries. The blanket didn't feel the way it used to. It didn't keep him warm, and he wasn't chilled by the air that snuck beneath it. He heard his bulky body strain the mattress, and the bed frame, but felt nothing. He didn't even feel the pillow unless he lay face-down upon it, pressing into it that small quarter of his head that still had skin.

He had been grateful, when he joined the titans, that he was able to design his own room. Grateful that no one judged him when he chose a slab for himself instead of a mattress. Grateful that, for all his insults, Beast Boy hadn't commented on how much his 'bed' resembled that of the Frankenstein monster. Which, truth be told, was very much how Cyborg had viewed _himself_. Before.

Really though, the slab was an improvement. It was something he had no regrets about not feeling. He had sensors that allowed him to 'feel', of course, but they merely told his semi-robotic brain how to interpret the object he was in contact with, for functional purposes. Things like the solidity of an object he was holding, or the kind of surface he was walking on. But not the little things. Like the soft cotton sheets on his childhood bed.

But sometimes he pretended that things hadn't changed quite in the drastic way they had. He had his memories, of course. So sometimes, when he woke, and his electronic parts came back to life, he kept his eyes closed, remembering the way it used to be.

Today, however, was _not_ one of those days. Today, his nostalgia was replaced with an intense desire not to leave his metal slab, because today, Ryan and Marie were being taken away. Or, at least, wherever they were _going_ to go would be decided. And Cyborg wanted _no_ part of it.

They weren't his children, as Beast Boy had so bluntly pointed out. He didn't have a say. So what was the point of him being involved in the discussion at all? He had opinions, of course, as anyone would. But when it came down to it? His opinion didn't matter.

What _did_ matter, was the arm.

Sighing, Cyborg opened his eyes, accepting, yet again, that continuing to sleep after his sleep program was completed was futile.

He opened his arm panel to check the time. 7:00am. Before Ryan and Marie, only Robin and Raven would have been up at that hour. Starfire was more of a 9am riser. Beast Boy was lucky if he made it to lunch. But with the kids, everyone's normal schedule had flown out the window. Even Robin's 'official' schedule for them had proved almost competely ineffective. Aside from responsibility delegation, which was still hanging on by a thread.

Thus, as Cyborg made his way to the common room, he had no way of knowing who, or what he was to find there. However, of all the things he might have guessed, an apron-clad Raven battling a waffle iron was not one of them.

"HEY HEY HEY!" Cyborg ripped the iron out of her hand before Raven could touch the hot metal beyond the heat-proof handle, "be careful with that!"

"Oops," Raven said, hiding her embarrassment in monotone.

"What're you doin' in here?" Cyborg surveyed the area. No Robin. No Starfire or Beast Boy. No kids. Just Raven, a bowl of what was clearly _meant_ to be waffle mix, and a smoking waffle iro-wait, _smoking_?

Cyborg pulled the sides of the iron apart, revealing the burnt remains of a waffle-adjacent creation. The last time Raven had tried to make them breakfast, the world was ending. He eyed her skeptically.

Raven rolled her eyes.

"No, Trigon is _not_ about to destroy the world."

Cyborg let out a sigh of relief.

"So...I guess you didn't want to wait for me or Robin to cook?"

Raven shrugged.

"I thought I should learn how to make breakfast on my own."

"But you don't even _eat_ breakfast," Cyborg reminded her.

"I do when there are waffles," she countered.

Cyborg put the skillet in the sink and ran the faucet.

"Looks like it's pretty empty today," he noted, referring to the absence of the towers' other inhabitants, "I guess no one's really rushing to talk about...you know."

Raven didn't respond, and they stood in silence, listening to the water as it softened the burnt crisps.

Cyborg's eyes wandered from the empty common area to Raven's bowl of batter. It wasn't the right color. Or consistency.

"It's...nice that you're trying to get better," he said, trying to be encouraging, despite his _dis_ couraging tone, "if you keep it up, you might end up being the second best chef in the tower - after me," he nudged her, trying to lighten the mood.

Raven just stared at her batter.

Cyborg watched her for a moment, then turned the water off and started scrubbing away the last of the blackened batter from the iron.

"Cyborg?"

He looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Could you...teach me?"

"Teach you what?"

Cyborg was fairly confident that she wasn't in the mood for a lecture on mehcanical engineering or physics this early in the morning. In fact, her suggestion of additional interaction at all was, in itself, astounding.

"Can you teach me how to make waffles?"

"I don't know," Cyborg dried his hands, "I got a _lot_ of stuff goin' on this morning..." Raven frowned, "but I _think_ I can squeeze you in."

Raven scowled, " _thanks_."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Starfire smiled as she opened her eyes, her head dangling off the end of her bed. Silkie lay, curled up on the floor, beneath her red tresses. It was unclear as to whether or not he had been nibbling on them before he fell asleep.

"Good morning Silkie!"

The worm fidgeted in response.

Starfire righted herself, stretching her muscles, and spotted Ryan, still asleep. She watched him as he lay there, dreaming his little dreams. Starfire idly wondered what they were. Perhaps he dreamed of playing the video games? Or drawing on the walls? Or poking Silkie? Or playing that game he and Marie were enjoying? The one where they were titans, and Marie had quite adorably decided to dress up as Starfire and Ryan had tried to be his hero, Robin? _Robin_.

Starfire's expression turned sour. She had forgotten. Today was the day he would take their son away. Today he would be the leader the city needed, and send Ryan out into uncharted waters, hoping for the best but never knowing if he'd be ok. Stifling his compassion with the cries of his people. A city in need of him. Of _them_.

With a painful jab in her first stomach, Starfire remembered the decision she had made. The right choice, she was confident, but a far more crushing one. And Ryan wouldn't see it the same way she did. He would just think that both his parents had abandoned him. That they didn't love him, or care about him. And even if he did understand, the way Starfire had when her own father sent her away, that wouldn't make him feel any less abandoned. Because, unlike Starfire, Ryan loved his parents. They were his world. And they were about to betray him.

Ryan stirred.

"Mommy?" He rubbed his face, searching for Starfire with foggy eyes.

"Fear not, my bumgorf," Starfire said gently, reaching out to brush his hair out of his face, "I am here."

But not for long.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Robin stood outside the door to the main ops room, preparing himself for the whirlwhind of Tamaranean and beastly fury he knew he would encounter upon his entrance.

He'd start with an apology, of course. Not for what he said, but for the _way_ he said it. Pointing fingers and screaming and demanding...he was out of line. He knew that. But that didn't change the facts. The kids _still_ had to go. He was just sorry for shouting it instead of calmly reasoning it out with the team.

His mentor wasn't familiar with the concept of apologies. Whenever Robin was hurt, or scared by the man that raised him, his mentor merely shook his head in disappointment. It was never _his_ fault. It couldn't have been his mentor's harsh words or physical blows in combat training that forced Robin to the ground in tears. It was always Robin who had been misguided. Robin, who had to be stronger. Robin, who had to grow up. And Robin _did_. Robin found himself a team he intended to treat with fairness and dignity. And though, sometimes, Robin found himself too quick to judge, or tease, or dismiss, for the mostpart, he listened. He cared. Which was more than his mentor had ever done for him.

So Robin took a moment, outside the door, to collect himself. To reflect on what he'd said, and whom he had hurt with his words. To contemplate the best way to apologize, while still convincing everyone to agree to the idea he'd shouted at them rather than discussed.

He closed his eyes and took a breathe.

"Uncle Robin?"

His eyes snapped open.

No one was there.

"Uncle _Robin_ ," he adjusted his gaze so he was looking down rather than forward, "you're in the _way_."

He stared at Marie blankly for a second, still caught offguard, then shook his head to refocus.

"Sorry about that," he stepped aside, allowing her to step towards the door.

"Open it," she demanded.

"What do you say?" Robin countered, folding his arms.

" _Now_."

"Hm..." Robin tapped his chin, "I don't think that's the magic word I was looking for."

Marie rolled her eyes, " _please_."

"THAT'S it!" Robin smiled, opening the door via the access panel.

Marie stepped forward, but Robin called her back.

"Don't you want to say "thank you"?"

"No."

"I think you should," Robin suggested, but the way he put his arm in front of her and blocked her path made it seem a little more like a command.

" _Thank you_ ," she muttered, then added, "you're annoying."

"You're not the only one who thinks so."

Robin turned at the unexpected voice, and Marie ran past him to its source.

"Mommy!" She ran over to the apron-clad empath, a sight that made Robin's gut churn both from the possibility of a new attack from Trigon and, perhaps more severly, from the memory of the pancakes Starfire had likened to some roach creature on her home planet.

"Don't worry man," Cyborg waved his concerned expression away, "it ain't the end of the world, and I'm helping her cook," he grinned at his protege as she opened the iron to reveal an only mildly burned waffle, "and she's doin' alright!"

"I wanna waffle!" Marie cried, reaching for the iron in Raven's hands.

"NO," Raven used her powers to lift the iron well above the child's reach, "go sit down."

"But-"

"Or there won't BE any waffles."

In the face of so dire a threat, Marie ran out from behind the counter, and scrambled to get up on one of the bar stools.

Robin looked around the rest of the room, noting the distinct absence of Starfire and Beast Boy, then turned his attention back to Raven and Cyborg.

"But how do I _know_ when they're done?"

"You just set a timer-"

"I _did_ that."

"Well, you did it _wrong_. Look," Cyborg jabbed a finger at the device, "you set it for 10 minutes. It only needs 5."

"I like them crispy."

"Crispy and _burnt_ are NOT the same!"

"I-"

"Hey, guys?"

Cyborg and Raven snapped their heads towards Robin.

"I'm...sorry about yesterday."

"You just overreacted - it happens," Cyborg shrugged, "I'm sure BB and Star'll understand."

"I didn't-" Robin stopped himself from blowing up, and instead responded, "I still meant what I said."

"We know," Cyborg turned back to the stove and poured some more batter in the waffle iron.

"And...you're not mad?" Robin asked, tentatively.

"It was just a matter of time until something like this happened," Raven affirmed in monotone, "it isn't safe for them here. Especially with the titans - we literally _chase_ danger."

Robin nodded.

"I WANT WAFFLES!" Marie cried, recapturing her audience.

"Say please," Raven admonished.

"But-"

"You're not getting any waffles if you don't," Raven turned back to Cyborg, signaling the end of the conversation, and, quite possibly, the end of Marie's chances at getting her favorite breakfast food.

"PLEASE," she cried, "give me a waffle!"

"Fine," Raven levitated two not-wholly black waffles onto a plate and sent it over to Marie.

The little girl poked at them.

"They're burnt."

"It's that or cereal," Raven informed her.

"Can I have syrup?" Marie asked, then quickly, terrified of losing her preferred topping, added, "PLEASE!"

Robin watched as Raven placed the syrup in front of her then grabbed it from her hands and applied it to the waffles himself. A sticky four-year-old running around the tower and touching everything was the last thing they needed today.

"Say thank you," Raven looked at Marie pointedly.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Robin put the syrup down, "why do you care about manners all of a sudden?" He asked, "I thought you said they didn't matter."

"That's not what I said," Raven replied, refusing to answer his question.

Something seemed... _strange_ , about this morning. Specifically with Raven. But Robin wasn't sure what to make of it. Regardless, he had more important things to worry about. Like-

"DADDY!" Ryan ran through the door and straight towards Robin, hugging him tightly around the legs. Robin could feel the blood stop flowing to his feet.

"Good morning," Robin grinned through gritted teeth, then picked him up and deposited him next to Marie, _removed_ from his various appendages. He flexed his toes as the blood returned to them.

"Uh, hi Starfire," he smiled, tentatively.

"Good morning, friend Robin," Starfire nodded at him, cooler than she normally was, but not nearly as cold as she would be had she truly been angry. An enraged Starfire was easy to spot. This...didn't look like her.

"Daddy, look!" Ryan pointed excitedly, "Uncle Cyborg made waffles!"

"Actually," Cyborg corrected him, stepping aside so he could clearly see the empath removing the final one from the iron, "Aunt _Raven_ , made waffles!"

Marie, clearly aware of her mother's questionable cooking abilities and not having previously registered the fact that it was _Raven_ that had created the meal before her, stopped chomping mid-bite and looked down at her food, debating whether or not to spit it out.

"Can I have one?" He turned on Beast Boy's signature puppy-dog face, and Robin sighed.

Robin could tell that his future self would always be annoyed by the similarities between his son and teammate, however much he told himself that _he_ was Ryan's father, and not the green man whose expressions were reflected in the boy's features. But he held back his instinctive grimace, the one usually directed at the creator of "the look", and forced a smile instead.

"Sure," he put a hand on Ryan's shoulder and called over the counter, "can we get some pancakes over here?" He grinned, more genuinely, at the boy, "And make it a double!"

"Don't you wanna say PLEASE?" Marie mimicked his earlier tone.

"Thanks for the reminder," Robin turned from her back to Cyborg and Raven, "make it a double, _please_!"

Marie scowled in her seat, but started eating again.

"Might I also have a plate of the waffles?" Starfire asked, moving towards the sear next to Ryan.

Robin stepped back so she could pass him, and caught her arm as he did so.

"We still need to talk about what's happening with them," he whispered, hoping the low volume and promise of sugar would prevent Ryan's sensitive ears from picking up on their conversation, "they still can't stay here."

Starfire simply said, "I know," then gently brushed his hand away and sat down.

Robin stared after her quizzically. What was _happening_? He hadn't known what to expect from any of them, but a complacent Starfire and master chef Raven were definitely _not_ something he could have forseen. Beast Boy's lateness, however, _was_.

Technically he hadn't called an official meeting, but Robin _still_ felt that when decisions of magnitude were to left until the morning, no one should have gotten a good night's sleep. Everyone should have been up, like him, debating for hours the pros and cons and logistics of every single plan of action, and then, when sleep finally struck, their rest should be fitful, their bodies itching to wake so that the issue could be dealt with and their minds be calm again. Of course, that was rarely the case. Especially not with Beast Boy.

"Hey," Robin asked aloud, grabbing the seat next to Starfire, "has anyone seen-"

"Nope," Cyborg slammed a steaming pile of waffles down before him.

"He's probably asleep," Raven commented, taking her own plate of food.

"Figures," Robin grumbled under his breath.

"Seeing as he's not here right now, so we can't talk about-" Cyborg stopped himself when the glares of the three other titans reminded him of his two young audience members, "uh... _stuff_ ," Robin nodded in approval, "there's something else I wanted to talk to you guys about..."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Don't worry ladies, there's enough gas in this tank for _all_ of you to ride..." Beast Boy smiled at the crowd only his lidded eyes could see, "Raven..." He frowned in his sleep, "you don't even like..."

Beast Boy rolled onto his other side, the sun hitting his face from the uncovered window.

"Raven, don't do that..." he reached his arm towards the light penetrating his closed eyelids, "stop it! You're burning my moped! Raven! RAVEN!"

Beast Boy's eyes snapped open just in time for him to tumble onto the floor. His aggressive lunge to keep Raven from his imaginary moped caused his weight to shift, making him dangerously unbalanced.

"Ow..." He muttered, rubbing his head.

Before Ryan and Marie, he would have been terrified to find himself waking anywhere other than his own bed, _especially_ in Raven's room, but now? He felt like a couch surfer. Crashing on a different floor every night. Literally.

Thus, given the present circumstances, Beast Boy was merely irritated by his fall, and the unpleasant intrusion of the sun into his dreams.

"Hey, Raven?" He asked, using her mattress as leverage to raise himself back up, "can you look at my head? I think I might have another concu-Raven?" He stared at the empty bed, then scanned the rest of the room, "Marie?" He called the room's other previous occupant, "are you hiding or something?" He lowered himself back onto the ground and crouched so he could look under the bed. Nothing.

Beast Boy's eyes widened.

No. NO. No no no no no no no. They were just talking about the possibilities last night, right? It wasn't like Raven would _actually_ just take Marie and...

"RAVEN!" Beast Boy shouted, dashing into the hallway and looking in both directions, at a loss for which way they might have gone, "MARIE!"

Was he too late? How long did it take to pack? And get the T-Ship ready? They couldn't have _left_ \- not YET, could they?! COULD THEY?!

"RAVEN!" He shouted again, picking a direction at random and racing down the halls, "MARIE! Are you still here?!"

He turned another corner. Still no sign of them.

"MARIE! RAVEN!"

He ended up at the door to the main ops room, and slammed his hand on the lock panel.

"...and while we were there, I saw something that looked like the arm from the-"

"RAVEN?" Beast Boy burst through the door, his eyes darting madly around the room.

"Beast Boy?" Robin asked, brow furrowed at his teammate's strange entrance, "are you o-"

"Raven!" Beast Boy ran towards the wary empath at full speed and tackled her in a figurative bear hug, the impact forcing her out of her seat and onto the floor.

" _Beast Boy_..." she growled.

"You CAN'T go!" Beast Boy cried, grabbing her shoulders forcefully, "you CAN'T!"

"Beast Boy, I-"

"NO! I can't just _stay_ here and pretend like everything's ok when you and Marie are GONE!"

" _Beast B-_ "

"I know what you said, but you're WRONG!" He insisted, while the rest of the confused titans inched closer to the unexpected spectacle he had created.

"You're _not_ -"

"I don't care if you don't want me there! Marie NEEDS me!"

"I-"

"NO!" He interrupted her again, "I'm not gonna let you convince me to stay! If you guys are going somewhere, I'm coming with you! Even if it means going to stupid Tamaran with no bathrooms!"

"Tamaran?" Robin furrowed his brow.

"No bathrooms?" Cyborg cocked his head.

" _STUPID_?!" Starfire's eyes glowed green.

"Beast Boy," Robin asked, "what are you _talking_ about?"

"Oh..." Beast Boy chuckled nervously, letting go of Raven, "I, uh, didn't know you guys were listening..."

"It wasn't like we could tune you out," Cyborg folded his arms.

"Please," Starfire demanded, pushing past the two boys, "why do you insult my planet?"

"What?" Then, remembering his words, he cried, "I didn't mean it like that!" Though he quite obviously did.

Raven rolled her eyes and stood up, Beast Boy following quickly after, afraid she might disappear if he strayed too far.

"It sounded like you said Marie and Raven were leaving," Robin pressed, "why would they be going to Tamaran?"

"I...uh...um..." Beast Boy fidgeted with his hands, struggling to come up with something that wouldn't incite Raven's wrath further. It was clear that this was _not_ the way Raven had wanted to tell the team her plan.

Raven scowled as he stammered, then stepped forward.

"I want to take Marie to Tamaran. She'll be safer there. And I think it'll be a good place for us to work on her control."

"But, friend Raven," Starfire frowned, "why must you also go?"

"I'm the only person that can teach her how to use her powers," Raven stated, "it...wouldn't be a good idea to leave her with anyone else."

"But the monks-" Raven stopped Beast Boy with a fierce glare, and he stopped talking.

"You're...just gonna leave us?" Cyborg asked, increduously.

Raven met his eyes and nodded.

"Raven," Robin started, "I..."

The team watched him, unsure of which way their leader was going to lean.

"I think that makes sense," Robin stepped towards her, "but do you really _want_ to go? Just because it's right for Marie, doesn't mean it's right for _you_. You don't have to leave if you don't want to. We can find another solution," he said, "I was up all night looking into potential guardians. I think the Doom Patrol might be-"

"No WAY is Marie going to the Doom Patrol. OR Ryan," Beast Boy growled, moving instinctively between Robin and the bar where the scared children sat watching the teens.

"Beast Boy, I know you have history with them, but I really think it could-"

"NO!" Beast Boy contested again, then, in a softer tone, added, "it...wouldn't be good for them. Especially not Ryan."

Robin looked at the fragile boy, so sweet and innocent. The Doom Patrol would change that. Quickly. If he let them.

Nonetheless, Robin reminded, "he's _my_ son," and Beast Boy nodded.

"And you're a crummy father if you let the Doom Patrol take him," Beast Boy informed him icily, "but either way - Marie stays with _us_ ," he gestured to himself and Raven."

"Beast Boy," Raven approached them, "we are _not_ both staying with Marie. YOU are staying HERE."

"You can't tell me what to do! She's my daughter too!"

"That doesn't mean we BOTH have to uproot our lives for her. It's not like we _chose_ this."

"But I'M choosing to stay with her!"

"Would you stay with her if I _wasn't_ there?"

"That's not the point!"

Robin turned from Raven and Beast Boy's argument and focused on the silent Starfire. He sighed, guessing what she would say once he asked her what _she_ wanted to do.

"I guess...you want to take Ryan to Tamaran too, don't you?" He stated more than asked.

"No," Starfire shook her head, "I believe that losing any of our teammates will have a detrimental effect on the people we protect," she explained, sad, but resolved, "as one of the protectors of Jump City, I feel that I cannot leave those that are under my care. We have the responsibility. It is not to be taken lightly."

Robin stared at her, shocked into silence.

"However," she continued, "that is the choice I have made. If friend Raven feels that she must do the leaving in order to ensure that Marie does not do the destroying, then we must support her."

She brushed past Robin, and he stepped aside to let her pass.

"Well, _you_ -"

"Friend Raven?" Starfire interrupted her heated argument.

" _What_?" Raven spet, still very much enraged by her 'discussion' with Beast Boy.

"Should you go to Tamaran with Marie, might you take Ryan with you?"

"...what?" Raven's tone grew wary.

"I have chosen to remain here, to protect the people of Earth. But Robin is correct - we cannot do the protecting while looking after the bumgorfs," she asserted, "I therefore feel that it would be best for Ryan if he go with you."

"Starfire," Raven protested, "I'm not sure if-"

"Galfore will give you all that you are in need of. And we will be in the constant contact!" She assured, "Tamaran is my home. If Ryan cannot be with me, I would prefer that he be on the planet on which I was raised," Starfire looked meaningfully at Raven, "with those that I trust most."

"No problem Star," Beast Boy saluted, "we got this."

" _BEAST BOY_..." Raven seethed.

"Actually," Robin inserted himself, "I think Beast Boy _should_ go."

"Really?" Beast Boy asked, jaw wide open, then realizing his good fortune, promptly smiled and said, "I mean, _duh_."

Robin raised a brow.

"Raven's going to need help, and she made a good point. She's the only one that really understands Marie's powers," he clarified, "and Beast Boy is the only one who can help Ryan with his."

"SWEET!" Beast Boy raised an excited fist into the air.

Raven folded her arms and grumbled, "on second thought, maybe I'll stay here..."

"So, when do we leave?" Beast Boy asked, with more gusto than was appropriate when discussing the removal of children from their home.

"We'll call Galfore today and see when he can make the necessary arrangements. And Cyborg will need to make sure the T-Ship is up and running."

"Yeah," Beast Boy nodded, "how long do ya think it'll take Cy?" He looked around for his recently silent friend, "Cy?" He spotted him a ways off, by the main door, "oh, there you are! I was starting to think you...Cy?" Beast Boy's timid question caused the other titans to look at what _appeared_ to be Cyborg. If Cyborg were sleeping on his feet. And if his circuits were supposed to glow that shade of rusty orange. And if the whirring and clicking noises coming from within him were normal sounds he made.

"Cyborg?" Robin asked, taking a few steps towards his friend, "are you-"

Cyborg's eyes snapped open.

"Well, well, titans," a rich feminine voice spoke from behind them, causing them to turn, "we meet at last."


	51. Chapter 51

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 51

Robin knew that mask. The silver armor. The black and rusted orange. The markers of a sociopath Robin was all too familiar with. The figure standing there upon the couch was not that man, yet the resemblance was so striking, that Robin couldn't help but murmer, "Slade."

Robin moved forward, instinctively stepping between his team and the threat before them.

"But...isn't Slade...a _dude_?"

Dude? Ravager cocked her head. Such a common address for the man that almost destroyed the titans - on _multiple_ occasions. But then, the snake that strikes is feared far more than one that hisses. And Slade had never truly struck them down. Why then should he deserve their awestruck fear?

Ravager smiled.

"I doubt he'd appreciate that term," she noted, imagining the scowl beneath his mask, the way he'd want to rip the green boy's throat out with his fist, "he'd probably prefer something a little more...intimidating," she leapt down off the couch, causing all but Robin to step back, "of course," she continued, "it's all blust and blunder with him," she let her eyes trail lazily around the room, as if the man she spoke of was a topic unworthy of her full attention, "throwing empty threats instead of going for the kill," she shook her head in disappointment, " _pathetic_."

"That isn't Slade," Robin eyed her warily, mirroring the offensive pose his teammates were holding, "it's _Ravager_."

"Ravager?" Beast Boy repeated, "you said he - uh, _she_ \- was Slade's apprentice, right? Why didn't her suit, like, shock her or something?"

"Because," Ravager responded, forcing herself to stop from wincing at the memories of the early days wherein her first, electrified uniform brought her to tears after the slightest disobedience, "I'm not working with Slade."

"Huh?" Beast Boy frowned, "then what's with the outfit?" He gestured to the Slade-colored uniform.

"Is it a crime to wear the same colors?" She asked, sauntering towards him.

"No," Robin asserted, "but breaking and entering is."

"Do you see anything broken?" She asked innocently, gesturing around the room, "and I wouldn't have come in without an invitation. Isn't that right, Cyborg?"

Cyborg remained still, silently glowing orange.

"You have quite the gentleman on your team," she smiled affectionately at the robot, "he gave me the security codes, took me on a tour of the tower - though, I suppose he could have met me at the door," she frowned in mock disappointment before smiling again, "but there are always things to improve upon."

"What have you DONE to him?!" Robin demanded.

 _"Me?"_ She asked, placing a hand over her chest in appalment, _"I_ haven't done anything. It's _Cyborg_ you should be worrying about. Playing double agent and sharing your little secrets. He's been _such_ a help to me," she gazed at Cyborg fondly, then turned back to Robin, "what kind of a leader are you, Robin, if you can't even control your subordinates?"

"What do you WANT?" He growled.

"What I want," she drawled, casually drawing nearer to Robin, "is to make your lives easier," she reached for Robin's hand, but he snatched it away, "my friend," she gestured to Cyborg, "tells me that you have some...visitors, in your midst. It much be challenging," she noted, "without the right tools. Cyborg says you don't even _want_ them."

Robin's teeth clenched tighter.

"What I _want_ ," she said again, "is to help you. To take your... _responsibilities_ ," she nodded towards the children the other titans were guarding, "off your hands."

"Not happening," Robin growled.

"How sweet," she leaned in, so that her face was inches from Robin's own, "Slade was right about you," she cupped his cheek, "all justice, no thirst for power...a waste of your abilities," she shoved his face away, forcing him to stagger back from the unexpected force.

"Leave Robin ALONE!" Starfire's eyes glowed green, and she shot through the air, headed straight for Ravager, when something jumped onto her back, wrapped its spidery metal legs around her torso, and stuck what felt like a sharp needle into her spine. "AH!" She cried out at the initial, unexpected prick, but then, to her horror, she felt herself falling, unable to lift herself up with even the happiest memories of her most recent date with Robin.

"Uh, uh, uh," Ravager raised a finger, wagging it with each word, "it's not polite to interrupt someone."

Starfire growled and lunged for Ravager's boot, trying to pull her leg out from under her, but it didn't budge.

"What would be the point," Ravager kicked her hand away and kneeled to Starfire's level, "of eliminating your ability to fly if I didn't get rid of your super strength?"

"ARGHHHH!"

Starfire leapt upon Ravager, doing her best to use the hand-to-hand combat skills Robin had forced them to go over, again, and again, so that, in situations where their abilities were compromised, they could still hold their own. It hadn't seemed so hard, when Robin showed them. The boy wonder didn't seem to have any issues keeping up with the rest of the team, despite a complete lack of metahuman ability. Even Raven and Beast Boy seemed to be formidable without their powers. So Starfire had assumed it would be easy. A kick here, a punch there, and justice was served. It was hard to imagine how difficult it would be, without _her_ powers.

The whole time she'd been on Earth, Starfire had been taught to restrain herself. "I can't breathe," when she hugged Robin. "Put the couch down!" when she was cleaning. "PUT THE DOOR BACK!" That one time she _really_ needed the facilities when Beast Boy was getting out of the shower. So Starfire did. Sparring with Robin, she used a fraction of the amount of force she would need to to actually build her muscles beyond their natural capability. Doing so would have killed him. The weight in the gym weren't even challenging. Training, for Starfire, was really about controlling her starbolts and laser eyes - improving her aim, experimenting with the intensity - those were the things Starfire practiced. Without her alien muscle fibers acting the way they were supposed to, without her laser eyes; she was _human_. One that was not even remotely strong enough to compete with someone like Robin, and apparently Ravager.

Ravager threw Starfire off with ease, causing the girl's body to collide with the kitchen counter before falling back onto the floor, only to have tiger form Beast Boy jump upon her, while Robin rushed to Starfire's side.

"Are you ok?" He looked seriously into her eyes, and Starfire forced herself to nod.

"Raven," Robin barked, but he had no need. The empath was well aware of the turn the situation had taken, and was already in the midst of forming portals beneath Starfire, as well as herself and the children, ready to evacuate.

Unfortunately, Ravager's bots were quicker, and one, almost identical to the one pressed into Starfire's back secured itself to Raven.

The portals shut immediately, and all of Raven's efforts, even her forceful "Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!", did nothing to restore her powers.

Beast Boy, growling into Ravager's smirking face, was next, with much the same result. He morphed back into human form as soon as the injection took hold, and rolled off of Ravager.

"MOMMY!" Marie wailed, "DADDY!"

"DADDY!" Ryan cried, hoping his father would take charge.

Marie, however, was in no mood to wait for Robin, and took it upon herself to barrel towards Ravager, wrapping the villain in a black band of mystical energy.

"Impressive," Ravager admired, testing the strength of the bond, "but how do you fair in combat?"

"...what?" Marie asked, confused, "what do you me-OOOMPH!"

Marie was knocked to the ground by an expressionless Cyborg, who, by the looks of it, was standing up and preparing to do it over again.

"I see your physical training has been lacking," Ravager noted, as the unexpected trauma caused Marie's hold on the band to break, "I assume you have Robin to thank for that."

Marie tried to fly away, but Cyborg grabbed her ankle and was about to slam her into the ground, when Robin tackled him from the side, and ram Ryan head-butted him for good measure.

"Don't hurt Marie!" Ryan screamed, morphing into a leopard and slashing at Cyborg's machinery.

Robin struggled to rip him away. No matter what the circumstances, Cyborg was still in there, and Robin didn't want him coming back to consciousness in pieces.

Beast Boy and Raven forcing themselves up off of the ground, ran over to block Marie from her attacker, who, despite the father-son assault, was rising from the floor prepared to strike again.

"I must say," Ravager placed a hand on her heart as she stepped towards the groaning Starfire, "this really _is_ touching." She kicked Starfire's side, and Robin gritted his teeth to stop from abandoning Ryan and running to her. "The fact that you think any of you, in your current state," she gestured, "could do _anything_ ," she shook her head in pretended amazement, "it's inspiring." She stepped closer to the three titans that remained upright, "but I'm afraid the show is over. And the children and I must take our leave." She approached Robin first walking around him to reach Ryan, but he blocked her path with his bo-staff, and she paused, amused, before shoving it aside, "I appreciate your willingness to entertain me, Robin. But I have my eye on some opponents with more _potential_."

"We are NOT letting Slade get his hands on-"

"Slade has NOTHING to do with this," she snapped, dropping her calm, collected facade for a moment.

"Sounds like someone's a little upset," Robin needled, "what happened? Was being his apprentice not enough for you? Did you run away? Or," Robin smirked, "did Slade decide you just weren't good enough?"

Ravager growled, and Robin barely had time to raise a fist before she had drawn two blades, pressing them into a tight X against his neck.

Beast Boy moved to attack, but Raven grabbed his arm and held him back, then pulled Ryan behind them.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of, Robin," Ravager hissed, "I could kill you all in _seconds_."

Robin growled, and she pulled the swords tighter.

"You think you're _special_ because Slade wanted YOU first?" She laughed, an edge of acid in the tone, "he had an apprentice that could control the very ground you're standing on, apprentices that have taken out HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS - and what did YOU do for him?" She mocked, "stole a couple of things and play-fought with your little friends?"

"ARGHHHH!" Robin tried to back-flip out of his neck-hold, but Ravager shot her leg out behind his knees and tripped him so he fell upon the ground.

"Slade wanted you because he couldn't have you," Ravager held Robin down with a metal boot upon his sternum, "he wanted to break you. See you turn against everything you believed in, everyone you loved..."

Robin karate-chopped her leg, but Ravager just grabbed her blades and brought them down against his neck again.

"It was just a game to him, Robin. He failed, obviously," she scoffed, "but when he wanted to ACTUALLY conquer the world, who did he chose? Not YOU," she leaned her weight upon her foot, making Robin groan, "and when he wanted to take out his enemies? For GOOD? He chose me. Because, unlike YOU," she pressed one of the blades until a thin stream of blood dripped out of Robin's neck, "I actually accomplish."

"If you're THAT amazing," Robin tried his luck again, ignoring the sting in his neck, "then why'd he get rid of you?"

"He didn't," she answered, "I ASKED for this. To take out those he couldn't, alone. On my own terms. He was more than happy to let me."

"Slade doesn't LET anyone do anything. He's always in control."

"Not this time, Robin. Besides," she informed him, "plans have changed. I'm starting to see what Slade meant, when he talked about the Titans," she looked at Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire, all holding back in an effort to save their beloved leader, "you're almost too easy to destroy. It's barely worth the effort. You'd make _far_ better playthings than trophies."

"Dude, we are so NOT easy to-"

Raven smacked Beast Boy's arm, reminding him of the two priorities they were supposed to be guarding behind them.

"Yes, Beast Boy," Ravager switched targets for a moment, "listen to your girlfriend."

"Phhhh mphhhh mmmm gpphhh!"

Robin took this momentary distraction to swipe his leg into the back of Ravager's knee, and used his other leg to kick her torso, so that the tables turned and it was Robin pinning Ravager to the ground.

Ravager laughed from beneath him.

"Oh, Robin," she smiled, before knocking her forehead powerfully into his own, throwing him off enough to get a hand free and shove him to the side, then jumping atop his torso so that her knees fell on either side of his head, "you really thought that was going to work, didn't you?" She shook her head. "No matter how hard you try, I'm always going to end up on top," she sat down hard on his bruised sternum, making him gasp in pain, "but don't let that stop you," she lowered her face to his writhing one, so that their lips could easily have touched, "Slade wanted you, but he never really had you, did he Robin?" The boy wonder gnashed his teeth at her, "I, on the other hand," she moved so swiftly that Robin could scarcely blink before she caught his lips and bit down deep into his lower lip, coating her teeth in his blood, "am more than capable of claiming you." She licked the blood off of her teeth, shuddering in pleasure as she slowly ran her tongue across them.

"Get away from Robin!" Starfire yelled, managing to sit up despite the throbbing pain in her side.

"That's it?" Ravager asked in mock surprised, "I thought you, of all people, would put up more of a fight."

Starfire growled and stood up, taking a step towards Ravager before collapsing.

"I'm disappointed," Ravager sighed, "I'd hoped for a little bit of a challenge. It's as if none of you are even interested in keeping those attractive little specimens. But no matter. I'll make a _far_ better mentor."

Ryan and Marie screeched, and Beast Boy and Raven turned to see a fourth and fifth bot wrap themselves around each of the children, who both wailed upon the identical prick their parents had felt.

"DADDY!" Ryan screeched, "I can't change!"

"MOMMY!" Marie wailed, "get it off me!"

Raven wrestled with the bots' legs on Marie, while Beast Boy attempted to pull Ryan's bot off of his back.

"We're trying!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Trying, failing - either way, you've lost," Ravager raised herself from Robin's face, "and I'll be taking home my prizes."

"We WON'T let you do that!" Robin declared.

"You already have," she gestured about the room with her eyes, "the battle's over, Robin. If it even began at all. But don't worry," she smiled, "I'm sure we'll all see each other soon. In the meantime," she shifted her gaze to her brainwashed minion, "Cyborg?"

He walked, obediently, over and stood by her side.

"Would you mind?"

Cyborg's hands replaced her blades as soon as she removed them from Robin's neck, and remained there while she ventured towards Ryan and Marie.

"Cry all you want," she encouraged, as she threw Ryan, then Marie over her shoulders, "it won't be tolerated after today. Not where we're going."

"You won't get away with this," Robin promised, "we'll find you - we won't stop until-"

"Good luck, Robin," Ravager dismissed him, walking towards the main doors, "Titans," she turned, addressing the group, before walking into the hall, "it was an absolute pleasure."

"RYAN!"

"MARIE!"

"YOU CAN'T TAKE THEM!"

"RYAN! MARIE!"

The only response was the children's loud wailing, dying out as they moved further and further and _further_ away, until, at last, the tower grew silent.


	52. Chapter 52

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 52

The evening cast its shadows upon the weary Titans as they returned to the tower. Robin pushed past the door first, but it was neither purpose nor anger that drove him forward. It was solely the exhaustion of defeat that forced one foot beyond the other, and the promise of a bed on which he could lie, until the oblivion of sleep overtook him.

Raven followed after, keeping her hood raised instead of lowering it the way she usually would when returning home. There was no need for her teammates to see her face. Not now. They wouldn't understand.

Beast Boy and Starfire lagged behind, keeping pace with one another. Starfire was barely able to walk, let alone fly, in her desolation, and Beast Boy, in dog form, continued sniffing at the ground, trying in vain to pick up even a _trace_ of the fading scents he'd been following all day. Syrup and waffles and crayons and grass and the faint trace of shampoo from their most recent bath. Hints of Robin and Starfire and Beast Boy and Raven, and even Silkie. Would he ever smell it again?

"WOOF! WOOF!" He wagged his tail, barking at Starfire, at _anyone_ , to turn.

"It is of no use, Beast Boy," Starfire shook her head.

"WOOF!" He nipped at her hand, but she just pulled it away.

"Please," she blinked, causing two matching tears to make their way down her face, "stop."

"Woof!" Beast Boy called after her as she walked, increasing the distance between them, "woof!"

She didn't turn.

He looked from he tower back towards the mainland, and offered one final howl into the great abyss between himself and his pups, hoping, somehow, some way, they might be able to hear him. Then, like Starfire, he succumbed to the darkness of the tower's entryway.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Cyborg knew when the other Titans returned. He saw it on the monitor in his room. A giant alert across the screen signaling that someone was entering the tower, with a valid passkey. It would have been nice if there had been an alert when Ravager had entered _his_ system. Without authorization, or permission - he had been _used_. Against his will. Without knowledge of what was happening to him. His brain was paralyzed, but his body was moving, acting against his will. Like he was a puppet whose wires could be pulled by anyone with a computer, a lifeless machine to be hacked to their heart's content.

His tests for foreign malware were useless. He wasn't even strong enough to actually do _anything_ to stop her - he had been under Ravager's control, and he just... _let_ her. Let her take over his body, his mind - he was a _toy_ to her. And what had he done to prove her wrong? _Nothing_. He wasn't fit to be called a man. Let alone a Titan.

"Cyborg," Robin called from somewhere beyond the confines of his room, "we're back."

Cyborg winced. He didn't deserve it. _Cyborg_. The name of a hero. He didn't even deserve to be _Victor,_ at this point. And he definitely didn't deserve Robin's tired tone, calling out to him like he was still one of the team.

They had expected him to go with them, when they set out. After Ravager left, and her bots and Cyborg powered down, an hour after her departure. It was almost insulting, how confident she was that the Titans would never be able to escape unless she deactivated them. It didn't help that she was probably right. They still had no idea what she actually wanted with the kids, but it was clear to everyone that she viewed the titans as playthings. People she could call upon when she wanted to fight, or tease, or whatever else her heart desired, because, as they were now all _painfully_ aware, Ravager was better. Smarter. More prepared. Technologically advanced. More inconspicuous. She had literally planted bots in the tower, installed malware inside Cyborg's _brain,_ and the Titans had been none the wiser. They were no match for her, and they knew it. Cyborg knew it most of all.

Even with the bots destroyed by Beast Boy's lion claws, Cyborg had no way of knowing whether or not the program she'd installed, the code she'd accessed, or added, or whatever she had done to him, was gone. Just because he regained functionality didn't mean the mechanisms weren't still in place, waiting for the next time Ravager felt like taking a peek into his eye cam, or prancing around with his body. So when Robin rallied them, and told them to get up and out, Cyborg held back. "I'm a liability," he'd said. Robin had looked at him, hard. Starfire and Beast Boy and Raven were almost out the door, and Robin had finally nodded at him, then ran after them.

Cyborg turned off the computer. He probably shouldn't have been researching Ravager, either. But she had confirmed her connection to Slade, and _someone_ had to look into it. The past informs the present, and the Titans were presently occupied with finding Ravager's _current_ location, not looking into old police reports that might tell them how exactly she and Slade came into contact. The least Cyborg could do was try to run a background check. Even _that_ was risky. But Cyborg had to do _something_ \- he couldn't just sit there like a useless hunk of metal, twiddling his thumbs until the kids miraculously returned home. If Ravager didn't want to be found, as he assumed she didn't, then nothing would turn up in his search. If he _did_ find something, she had most likely left it as a breadcrumb, intentionally leading the Titans closer so she could further humiliate them.

But the Titans were home now, and, from what Cyborg's sound sensors in his robotic ear picked up, they were heading to bed, all of them hoping to wake up tomorrow to find the nightmare receding with the darkness of the night.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Beast Boy, however, was an exception.

"Robin?" Beast Boy raced to catch the boy wonder before he reached his door, "do we _have_ to stop now? If we go back out, I can try picking up their scent again, and we ca-"

"No," Robin shook his head, "not tonight."

"But we didn't even get five miles outside Jump City! If we just get back out there -"

"No," Robin repeated, continuing past his green teammate.

"But their scent's gonna fade soon," Beast Boy jumped in front of him, blocking his path, "the longer we wait-"

"If we couldn't track them tonight, it's not going to be any harder tomorrow."

"But-"

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy," Robin tried to step forward, but Beast Boy blocked him again.

"Dude, you're _Robin,_ " Beast Boy cried in disbelief, "you don't just give up and go to bed - you stay up until you take down the bad guy!"

"How does that usually work out?" Robin asked rhetorically, "for once, I'm going to take everyone else's advice. We're going to be a lot more effective tomorrow with some sleep."

"But..." Beast Boy furrowed his brow, "that's so...NOT you..." Beast Boy stared at his leader, the guy who never stopped until the mission was completed. The guy who wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

"I'm _tired_ , Beast Boy," Robin said.

"So?! Everyone's tired! That doesn't mean-"

"We didn't just lost a battle today, we lost our _kids_ ," Robin stated.

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, "which is exactly _why_ we should still be out there looking for them!"

Robin said nothing.

"Robin," Beast Boy said again, "we _need_ to-"

"Go to bed, Beast Boy," Robin put a firm hand on the green boy's shoulder, but did not meet his eyes, "just...go to bed."

Beast Boy watched as Robin let his hand drop, and made his way to his room, shutting the door behind him.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos. Azarath, metrion, zinthos. Azarath, metrio-"

"Raven?"

She wanted to keep her eyes closed. To maintain her lotus position and return to the calm serenity of her meditation. But the breaking waves of emotion from the other side of her door made that impossible.

"Raven?" Beast Boy asked again.

"What?" She made her way over to the door, opening it just enough for one eye to peek out. She wanted to be clear that whatever Beast Boy needed, it was _not_ going to involve him entering her room. She was in no shape to deal with him right now.

"Would you...go back out with me?"

"We were never 'going out'," Raven replied, too spent to stop the automatic sarcasm her lips spat forth.

Beast Boy ignored her comment, and continued his request unfazed, "if we just go a _little_ farther, I think-"

"No," Raven shut the door, leaving Beast Boy alone in the hall once more.

In her room, Raven leaned her back against the wall and slid down the the floor. She couldn't deal with Beast Boy right now, and she knew going back outside would be futile. If Ravager wanted the kids to stay hidden, there was no way the Titans were going to find her with a simple divide and conquer search tactic. They'd tried that already, and they had been _more_ than thorough. Air, land, sea, sewers, buildings, parks, caves - they'd searched every known crevice of Jump City and found NOTHING. It would be foolish to go back out without a new plan. Of course, Raven didn't feel like arguing the point with Beast Boy, and instead hoped, as she often did, that slamming the door in his face would make him go away.

She turned her head against the wall and listened as he shuffled outside her door, debating whether or not it was worth it to knock again, but finally she heard the heavy treading of his boots as he gave up and walked away.

Raven turned back and looked into the darkness of her bedroom. It was quiet here. Serene. No children screaming, or touching things they shouldn't be, or crying for affection. But someone more familiar with the room would notice that the bed was still unmade, the sheets hanging, almost upon the floor, as if someone had flung them off without regard for the person that would inevitably have to neaten them. The sugary, chocolate smears upon the pillows, and popcorn kernels poking at the mattress. The furniture at odd angles, the statuettes and books askew. The tv on the floor with scattered DVDs around it, so clearly out of place. The cause of all these things was now long gone, but in her place she'd left an unmistakable mark. A mark that made it hard for Raven to forget the reason for the chaos.

And she _did_ want to forget. She could right the room in seconds. Change the sheets, right her decor, dump the tv back in Beast Boy's room - she could close her eyes and open them, and everything would be back, exactly the way it was supposed to be. She could go to sleep and meditate and read her books - but as soon as she walked out her door? Reality would hit her like a punch to the stomach, because, whether or not she was capable of pretending Marie and Ryan never came into their lives, the rest of the titans could _not_. The future now was only Ryan and Marie, Marie and Ryan. Their whereabouts, well-being - and Raven wasn't sure she was invested. Raven wasn't sure they _should_ come back, even if the Titans found them. Raven wasn't sure they should even _try._

That was the problem, really. The reason she so quickly dismissed Beast Boy's earnest request. He wanted, _so_ badly, to find them. And Raven did not.

In the future, Raven supposedly trusted Beast Boy enough to run away with him, leave everything she'd ever known on Earth and rely solely on herself and him to raise their family. She trusted him enough to ask him that he NOT be the genetic father of their child, because his genes mixing with hers would create a monster, and later, when such a child was conceived, asked him to go against his wishes and keep Robin in the dark, and run away without saying goodbye. _That_ Raven was so confident in Beast Boy, so _sure_ of their relationship, that she bore her soul to him. Confessed her fears and insecurities, her innermost thoughts without a doubt that he would listen, and stand by her, and love her unconditionally.

That Beast Boy didn't exist for her right now. Raven doubted that he ever would.

But Robin, the one who shared her skepticism with Terra when she first arrived, and understood her need to be alone, and respected her privacy and need for time apart, the boy that saw her at her worst and still went into the depths of the underworld to save her - _that_ boy was here. He was real, and he put stock in what she said, and he wouldn't tell her she was terrible, or weird, or heartless for sharing her thoughts with him.

The same could not be said of Beast Boy.

But she _did_ want to talk to someone. It was a rare occasion, true, but in this complicated situation, Raven knew that she would benefit from hearing another perspective, if only to confirm that she was as horrible a person as she felt she was, hiding in a ball on the floor of her room, wishing that Marie and Ryan would never come back.

Raven waited a few moments more, making sure that Beast Boy hadn't doubled back to try his luck again, then stood and made her way into the hall, silently walking toward Robin's room.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"Hey, Cy?"

Cyborg heard the swoosh of his door opening before he had time to turn. Even his friends seemed to think he didn't deserve privacy. Maybe that's why Ravager felt it was ok to waltz all over his brain - she was probably just emulating Beast Boy.

"How many times I gotta tell you - _knock_ BEFORE you come in," Cyborg snapped, "or better yet, _don't_ come in."

Beast Boy waved him off and stepped inside, hopping onto Cyborg's slab and dangling his feet off the edge.

Whatever Cyborg's current state of mind, the fact was that Beast Boy respected NO ONE's privacy, and was just as likely to burst into Cyborg's room as anyone else's - and he _had_ , on multiple occasions. Being berated for it was just par for the course.

"Do you wanna go back out with me?" Beast Boy asked, "Robin said you were still recovering from the attack and stuff, but you seem fine now!" He grinned, half in support, and half in the hopes that smiling would convince his friend to act on his request, "everyone else just wants to give up..." Beast Boy frowned, lost in his own thoughts for a moment, then snapped his head back up and asked again, "but you'll come, right?"

Cyborg sighed.

"I can't."

"What?" Beast Boy asked, jumping off his metal perch, "what do you mean you _can't_?"

"I mean I can't."

Beast Boy frowned, lone fang poking out skeptically.

"I can't go now, I can't go tomorrow, I can't do _anything_ to help find those kids."

"But..." Beast Boy furrowed his brow, not understanding, "you _can_ ," he grabbed Cyborg by the arm, "you just get up," he struggled to move Cyborg towards the door, but he was no match for the larger teen in his human form. Just like he was no match for Ravager. Beast Boy shook his head, shaking off the thought. "And then," he continued, "you just go out the door, and-"

"I CAN'T," Cyborg threw his arm back, causing Beast Boy to crash into a storage box against the wall.

"DUDE," Beast Boy stood up, pushing the fallen bolts and tools aside, "what is your PROBLEM?!" He growled angrily, picking up a stray nut from the floor and hurling it against the wall.

Cyborg watched as it bounced off a circuit on the wall and slammed into Beast Boy's head.

"OWWWWW!" Beast Boy plucked the nut from the new indent in his forehead, throwing it back onto the floor, "what IS it with everyone?!" He demanded, the pain of his new welt igniting his temper. "Am I the ONLY person that even _cares_ that Ryan and Marie were just _kidnapped_?!" He started pacing, angrily flailing his arms as he spoke, "Robin's all 'I'm tired Beast Boy - go to sleep', but Robin NEVER sleeps! And Raven's all... _Raven_... and Starfire just GAVE UP! And now you're saying you CAN'T go outside? Just because of ONE stupid fight with Ravager?"

"It's not like that," Cyborg folded his arms.

"Oh, really?" Beast Boy spat, "because it SEEMS like Ravager whipped your butt and now you're too scared to go out and fight her again!"

"She was in my _mind_."

"So? We've been in Raven's mind!"

"And that turned out REAL good, didn't it?" Cyborg snapped, "Ravager was IN my mind - she had access to EVERYTHING. My eyes, my ears, my hardware - EVERYTHING I did, EVERYTHING I _am_ \- she could _see_ it. She could _control_ it." Cyborg took a breath to calm himself, and Beast Boy waited for him to continue. "How do I know she can't still do that now? The closer I get to Ryan and Marie, the easier it'll be for her to hide them. I'm a liability."

Beast Boy's eyes widened.

"So...what? You're just not gonna fight crime anymore?"

"I didn't say that."

"How's this any different? We're TITANS - helping people is our THING! Just because Trigon or Slade or Mother Mae Eye or Control Freak or whoever got into the tower," Cyborg shuddered inwardly at the number of villains that had managed to get past the tower's defenses over the years, "and could've put whatever surveillance-y things up, didn't mean we stopped trying to fight them!"

"This is different, BB. I-"

"No it,'s NOT!" Beast Boy grabbed Cyborg by the shoulders and managed to pull the boy's head down to his level with the unexpected movement, "we GOT THIS, Cy! If Ravager sees us, then _fine_. She'll move around, and leave extra clues behind, and we'll have an easier time finding her. Or-or she'll feel the pressure, and come out and fight us or something - and maybe she'll give us another hint!" Beast Boy let go of Cyborg and stepped back.

"I mean, I've never had anyone _in_ my head - except Mad Mod, if you count the hypno-whatever," he noted, "but you can't let that stop you. Raven didn't. And she had a _demon_ in there. You just have a super-creepy-evil-genius-person in there."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Cyborg trailed off.

"FINE," Beast Boy turned to the door, "I'll just go myself. At least the kids have _one_ person that cares enough to-"

" _One_?"

Beast Boy turned to the sound of Cyborg's cannon clicking into place.

"I think you mean _two_."

Beast Boy grinned.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

KNOCK KNOCK

"Starfire?"

Robin stepped cautiously towards his bedroom door. He wasn't sure where they stood, and it _should_ have been the farthest thing from his mind, but everything was a mess, and nothing was the way it was supposed to be. Not even his thoughts. So, though he _should_ have been thinking only of the kids, and where they were and the many ways in which he might try to find them, he found himself wishing only for the company of his possibly-but-maybe-not-still-girlfriend, so that, for one, sweet moment he could forget it all. There were no guarantees that sleep would bring the same relief. His nightmares could be relentless.

It was, then, with no small disappointment, that he opened the door to-

" _Raven_?"

"I need to talk to you," she pushed past him, and he closed the door behind him, making no effort to hide his confusion.

"About what?"

Raven rolled her eyes.

That was something that impressed Robin. The way she seemed to always be able to maintain her obnoxious affectations, no matter how dire the situation. It was...calming, somehow. Relieving, to have that normalcy. Well, normal for the Titans, anyway.

Robin followed Raven to his bed, where she was seated with her arms crossed over her chest.

He took a seat next to her, turning his torso to face her.

Raven wasn't one to hesitate. She took things as they came. Stated the facts bluntly, sometimes brutally. That wasn't to say that she didn't have certain topics she _didn't_ want to speak about. But she was zero or one hundred, black and white - there was no middle ground. Either she _wanted_ to talk, or she _didn't_. At least, that was Robin's understanding. She'd come to him before, with fears and concerns and insecurities, but when she approached him it was with the purpose of expressing them. The only times he had to press her were when _he_ wanted answers. So, in this instance, with Raven sitting stiffly, literally closing herself off with her folded arms, he wasn't sure what exactly he was supposed to do. Right now, all he _wanted_ was to sleep, and hopefully dream up some solution to their myriad of problems.

He watched Raven intently, as if trying to decipher her intentions with his gaze.

"You know..." Raven said, looking ahead rather than at Robin, "it feels... _wrong_ , talking to you about this."

"Well," Robin noted, "you haven't really said anything yet."

"These days it seems like the only person I actually _talk_ to is Beast Boy."

"Is...that a good thing?"

"If you consider being forced to stay up and bare your soul every night with the least intelligent person in the tower 'good'," Raven responded.

Robin took a moment to decipher her words in his head.

"...bare your soul? To _Beast Boy_?!" Robin all but screamed in her face in disbelief.

"What?" Raven snapped, "exhaustion impairs people's judgment," she justified, "and you can't say the kids weren't exhausting."

Robin forced himself to mutter, "yeah," instead of making her elaborate. This was _her_ conversation. And headstrong as Robin was, he was _still_ capable of recognizing when it was someone else's turn to lead.

"The tower's quiet now," Raven noted, "it's going to be easier to meditate. Tonight."

The break in her sentences was a red alert to Robin.

"Tonight?"

"As long as they're gone," Raven expanded, still avoiding Robin's masked eyes.

Robin's brows furrowed, then lowered, as he realized her meaning.

"You...don't want them to come back, do you?"

Raven turned, finally, to face him.

"I know everyone wants to find them, and I want to make sure they're ok too," she added quickly, "but Ravager _kidnapped_ them-"

"Exactly," Robin affirmed, "which is why we have to-"

"-she didn't _hurt_ them."

"We have no _idea_ what she's doing," Robin stated, "she could be experimenting on them, or drugging them, or beating them-"

"Or _training_ them."

"That's a lot worse than it sounds, Raven."

Robin recalled his memories of Slade, knocking him to the ground once, twice, twenty, fifty times, urging him, after each fall, each crack of his head against the cold stone floor, covered with his own spit and blood, to get back up and try again. Encouraging words, coming from someone who wasn't actively trying to beat you within an inch of your life. But to Slade, training was nothing if not real combat. And sometimes, a fight ends with only one person walking out of the ring. Robin was a highly trained hero. Ryan and Marie were _children_. They'd be lucky if just crashing into the floor didn't kill them.

"Their powers are a lot stronger than Ravager's."

"Sometimes technology is stronger."

Robin's mentor had used it, as effectively as the powers his adversaries were imbued with. Ravager had proven that hers could repress the Titans' powers altogether.

"Everyone makes mistakes. It'll only take one for the kids to go out of control and kill her."

"And then what?" Robin demanded, standing up in frustration, "they'd just be locked up with no idea what to do! They could _starve_ , Raven. Or they could get out and hurt _innocent_ people."

Raven said nothing.

"Are you listening, Raven? We can't let Ravager keep them! We have to-"

"I know," Raven said firmly, then turned away, and softly said again, "I _know_."

Robin sighed, and sat back down beside her.

"What is it, Raven? You didn't really come here to tell me to stop looking for the kids, did you?"

Raven shook her head.

"Then what is it?" Robin asked, leaning towards her.

"If we find them...if they come back..." Raven started, "I don't know if I'll be able to do it."

"Do what?"

" _Raise_ them," Raven looked back at Robin with rare tears in her eyes, "I just wanted to take Marie away because her powers could destroy _everything_ here on Earth. On Tamaran there's empty space, and stronger people," Robin winced at the unintended jab to his human musculature, "there's a higher chance that they'll be ok, if her powers blow up."

"But _your_ life matters too, Raven," Robin insisted, "if you don't want to-"

"The only person my life mattered to was Trigon," Raven said, "if you guys hadn't stopped him, everyone else would have been better off if I'd never been born."

"Raven," Robin reached for her arm, but she shrugged him off.

"You can't deny the truth, Robin. You have to accept it. Like I have."

"Like how you've accepted that everyone would be better off if Marie had never been born?"

Raven didn't gasp or ask how he knew her thoughts. Instead, she simply answered, "yes," then added snarkily, "and don't pretend you want them here any more than I do."

"I don't," Robin admitted, "they're messy, and rude, and completely uncontrollable..."

"All your favorite things," Raven deadpanned.

"But I also know it's not their fault. They're _kids_. And I'm sure, in the future, that we want them there more than anything. Our future selves are probably wondering where they are and if they're ok-"

"Sounds like the present us."

" _Except_ ," Robin continued, "in the future, you _wanted_ Marie. She was a _choice_ , not an accident."

"Or so we think."

Robin glared at her sarcasm.

"And YOU," he took her shoulders in his hands, forcing her to look at him, "deserve to be happy. Just like me. Just like Starfire. Just like Beast Boy and Cyborg. If you want to have a family - you can do it. You _should_ do it. Because what you want matters, Raven. You're not some empty vessel for Trigon to play with - you have every right to stay here and enjoy your life. And the same goes for Marie."

"We're dangerous, Robin."

"So are the criminals we put away. You don't see _them_ running to Tamaran."

Robin dropped his arms.

"I learned how to control my powers in Azarath," Raven began, "and-"

"It doesn't matter _where_ Marie is," Robin insisted, "it's _who_ she has with her that counts."

"Even if we stayed," Raven retorted, "it wouldn't be the same. You said yourself - we can't look after them and fight at the same time. And, whether or not I want to," Raven brought Robin back to reality from his idealistic proclamations, "I need to be with Marie. So if the kids leave, I go with them."

Robin opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't force any words out.

What was there to say? Raven was right. Nothing would be the same, if they came back. The team would still be sad and broken. They'd just be sad and broken AND responsible for raising two children.

"I don't want them to come back," Raven whispered, but Robin heard every word of her confession, "I don't want the Titans to break up. I don't want to leave. I don't want to _have_ to look after them!" Raven cried, and the papers stacked on Robin's desk began to swirl, "I just want them to go _away_. So we can go back to how it was before. You said you want me to be happy?" Raven referenced Robin's words, "I'm only going to be happy if they disappear. But if they stay with Ravager, everyone else will be miserable. So nothing will ever be 'happy' again. Ever."

Raven took a deep breath before continuing, and the papers on Robin's desk settled back atop it.

"I know it is what it is, and I accept that," Raven said, "but..." she turned to Robin, "does it make me a terrible person to wish they were gone?"

Robin smiled. There it was. The real reason she had come to him.

"No," Robin shook his head, "it doesn't."

"Really?" Raven asked with skepticism.

" _Really_ ," Robin nodded, "everyone has things that make their lives more difficult. Like Silkie eating the couch, or Beast Boy leaving his toenails on the table," Raven shuddered, "and we all have moments where we wish those things would go away. It doesn't mean that I want Silkie to disappear, or Beast Boy to leave the team - it just means that sometimes I want things to be easy. And that's ok. That's just...being _human_."

Raven was quiet.

"And WHEN we get the kids back," Robin emphasized with positivity, grabbing Raven's hand, "we'll work it out. If you still think Tamaran's the best choice, we'll make sure you're not alone. Or maybe you don't have to stay there permanently - we can take turns. You don't _have_ to do everything alone, Raven. You said it yourself," Robin smiled, remembering what she said during that final, banishing battle with Trigon, "the Titans are your family. And _this_ family deals with problems _together_."

"...thanks."

Raven smiled.

WHOOSH

"Robin? I-Raven?"

The two named Titans looked up to see a puzzled Starfire looking down at their clasped hands and close proximity. They ripped their hands apart and Robin jumped up from the bed.

"Star," he approached her, "Raven just wanted to talk about-"

Starfire held up a hand to silence him.

"I care not what activities you and friend Raven engaged in while I was not present."

"Star, I-"

"Are you done with the 'talking'?" Starfire asked pointedly to Raven.

The empath nodded and walked towards the door.

Starfire watched her leave, then closed the door behind her and focused back on Robin.

"She really _was_ just here to talk," Robin insisted.

"I have no wish to discuss what you did or did not do with friend Raven-"

"Star," he tried again, "you don't un-"

"I have no need of understanding. That is not what brings me here tonight."

Starfire looked away, and Robin approached her cautiously.

"Star? Is everything ok?"

"No," Starfire shook her head, her eyes tearing, "everything is NOT ok. The children have been taken, and we do not know where or if the Ravager is being kind to them or knows how to prepare glorg or the waffles, and we do not know if she is doing the tucking of in or the reading of stories or the giving of hugs," Robin was sure that the answer to all of these questions was an emphatic NO, but held his tongue, "and..." tears started pouring down her face, "my bed smells of Ryan and my room has the reminders of him and I wish to sleep here tonight if that is acceptable."

Robin furrowed his brows.

He was the leader of the team. The one who made rules and schedules and set a good example for the team. He and Starfire didn't sleep in each other's rooms because it wasn't professional. It wasn't _appropriate_. But Starfire and Raven had sleepovers. Raven and Beast Boy had spent the last week sharing not just a bed, but the same band of magic energy forcing their torsos together. Was any of that _appropriate_? Was any of that even remotely _professional_? They were Titans. A team of superheroes. Friends. _Family_. And, Robin was coming to realize, those kinds of things don't matter when you're with family - as long as you feel safe, and wanted, and cared for - that's what was important.

"Yeah," Robin smiled, "I'm starting to think that rule was ridiculous anyway."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Ravager watched the two children as they slept, each in their own cage. They had been drugged shortly after their departure from the tower. There was something deeply satisfying about watching the Titans desperately try and fight her off while she effortlessly dragged the two screaming children from the tower. But such theatrics were a hindrance on their journey home. An ample dose of sedative was sufficient to knock the children out until tomorrow. She'd taken that time to put them in their suits - just like the ones her father had custom-made for each of his apprentices. It still gave her goosebumps to think of the mastery that went into Terra's suit, the one that gave him control of her body, her gifts. To have that kind of power...

Rose watched the easy rise and fall of Marie's chest, and listened to Ryan's mild wheezing.

These were her creatures. Putty in the hands of a sculptor so skilled she could craft marble busts from dirt.

Was this how Slade felt, when he first saw her? His little Rose? So innocent and sweet, ignorant of whose blood it was that scorched her veins? Oh, had he enjoyed it. Building her up from nothing. In his image. How he had loved it when she gouged out her own eye, to pledge her loyalty, to liken herself to him, beyond the link of their genetics. Had he known that she would gladly have gouged the other eye as well, if only he had asked?

What was it, then, that brought Slade the most pleasure? Crafting a girl, a child with half of his genetic makeup, into the perfect apprentice? Or was it just the knowledge that he'd groomed her, fed her, bathed her, clothed her with his doctrine; that Slade was a king, and she was a pretty pawn for him to play his little games with. Of course, his _games_ required skill. A pawn without her training would be useless. Perhaps a knight or bishop, then. But no, even a rook lacked the expertise that Rose had. She'd spent _years_ under his tutelage. Competing against time and words and fists and technology most people wouldn't stand a second up to. And she had survived. She had risen above. Until there was no challenge left unconquered.

No, Rose wasn't a pawn. She was a _queen_. And tomorrow, _her_ pawns would learn their place.


	53. Chapter 53

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 53

Raven stepped soundlessly into the common room, illuminated by the breaking sun as it rose over the horizon beyond the glass wall. Raven had seen that sun a hundred times. The gentle ripples on the bay, reflecting back the glints of morning light. She didn't need to look up to know the way the sky turned peach and honey blue as Jump City began its day. A day like any other day. And Raven was thankful for each and every one of them.

It didn't seem like it to most, but down, beneath the glibness of her negative remarks, Raven was grateful. Grateful to be with her friends, grateful to be contributing to a society that valued, rather than feared her, grateful, more recently, just to be _alive_. Just to be able to enter that very common room each morning, and sip a simple mug of herbal tea - it didn't matter if Beast Boy spilled it, or if Robin came in and broke the silence, or if Starfire or Cyborg invaded her space - Raven felt so ridiculously _lucky_ to be exactly where she was - even if she never truly showed it. Her emotions were dangerous, after all, and she wasn't about to jinx it all with bubbly smiles and joyful proclamations. Raven knew that it was always when things seemed to be perfect, that the entire world began to collapse.

Perhaps that was why the kids had been sent to them in the first place. The Titans had been too happy, and the universe had set out to destroy it. The same way they turned Malchior into a dragon, and Terra into a traitor, and haunted Robin with the ghost of Slade even after he had been defeated. The titans were home now, after besting the Brotherhood of Evil, after becoming heroes in Tokyo, after Starfire and Robin finally admitted their feelings - and their good fortune had been punished. Raven should have known better than to be happy. They all should have.

Still, Raven couldn't help but feel the faint pull of a smile on her face, as she looked out towards the water. Her view was the same one it was most days, and the silence as the Titans' other members slept was calming and familiar. It was hard to imagine that, less than twenty-four hours before, Ravager had come through like a goddess and reduced them all to powerless husks.

Raven's gaze drifted across the room. It was barely even damaged. Just some skewed furniture and unwashed dishes. It looked more like the aftermath of brunch than an enemy attack. It was almost like they hadn't tried to stop Ravager at all. Raven shook her head, inwardly berating herself. She could have tried harder. She could have attacked the bots earlier. She could have done _something_. Or would Ravager have simply forced one of the bots onto her back as soon as she prepared to strike?

She lowered her eyes. Robin was the only one who'd even made a dent in Ravager's facade, and even then the only things he got from it were bite marks and a mouthful of his own blood, which was currently staining the floor by Raven's feet. She grimaced at the image of Ravager biting into Robin's lip, licking the blood away. Robin had kept his cool, but she couldn't blame him for spitting out some blood onto the floor afterwards, eager to get whatever trace of Ravager he had on - or _in_ \- him away. She would have done the same.

Remembering herself, Raven levitated the dishes and the waffle iron into the sink, and moved the chairs back into place. It was a weak effort, but at least the kitchen would look tidy. Someone would still have to wash up and, she stepped aside, do something about the floor.

"Mo-yawwwn-rning Raven," Beast Boy smiled sadly as he and Cyborg stepped through the entryway.

"You're up early," she noted, heating water for her tea.

"We've been up all _night_ ," Cyborg informed her.

"Beast Boy convinced you to join him?" Raven stated more than asked, and Cyborg nodded.

"Something like that."

Cyborg headed for the kitchen while Beast Boy frowned, sniffed at the air, then morphed into a dog, sniffing intently at the floor.

"Haven't you stuck your nose in enough things for one day?" Cyborg asked, only half-joking.

"Did you find anything?" Raven asked, putting a teabag in her mug.

"Nothing," Cyborg shook his head, "but it was better than just sitting around waiting for something to happen," he shrugged, "and at least now we know a few more places they _aren't_."

Raven nodded.

"Dude," Beast Boy wrinkled his nose back in human form at pointed at the stain Raven had noticed before, "can someone clean that up? That gross iron smell is making me sick," he held his stomach.

"Why don't YOU clean it up?" Raven suggested.

"ME?!" Beast Boy guffawed, "why don't YOU?! I was the one who was out all night sniffing _garbage_ so we could find the kids!"

"And _I_ was here all night resting so I could actually be helpful when Robin asks us to come up with a plan."

"Oh yeah? Well..."

Cyborg tuned out the bickering as he approached the spot. Though incapable of controlling his body, he was still very much aware of what was happening with their fight with Ravager, and witnessed the expulsion of fluid from Robin's mouth. It was gross, but, as Cyborg suddenly realized, it was also faintly possible that it could be just the thing he was looking for.

"...could've actually-"

"You think YOU could have done better?! I-"

"Move over, Green Bean," Cyborg muttered as he pushed Beast Boy aside to give himself more room to kneel beside the dried blood. Wet samples would be better, sure, but he would work with what he had.

"And YOU-"

"Hey, Raven," he called, "can you get me a DNA collection kit from the med bay?"

"Hey!" Beast Boy cried as she disappeared into a portal, "we were in the middle of something!"

"Y'all can talk about which one of you's the worse parent another time."

Beast Boy hmphed, then crouched beside his older friend.

"What's so special about Robin's blood, anyway? Do you think Ravager, like... _did_ something to it?" His eyes widened, remembering the way Slade had once plagued his own blood with nanobots ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"No," Cyborg pointed at the spot, "I think Ravager is _in_ it."

Beast Boy furrowed his brow.

"Uh...are you saying Ravager's been in there the whole time? Did she...shrink? And what'd she do with the kids?" He asked as he stood back up and started pacing, "was it a robo-Ravager that took them then? Or a hologram? But holograms can't pick kids up, right? And you can't fight them, can you? Otherwise how'd holo-Ravager fight us and bite Robin? And how-"

"Exactly," Cyborg stopped him, she _bit_ Robin."

"And...?" Raven reappeared, handing Cyborg the kit.

"And when you bite someone, saliva from your mouth gets into the bite site."

"So when Ravager bit Robin..." Beast Boy started uncertainly.

"...her saliva ended up in his mouth." Raven finished.

"Ewww," Beast Boy grimaced.

Raven raised her eyebrow at the reaction.

"You...haven't kissed anyone, have you?"

Beast Boy blushed angrily.

"What?! Of COURSE I have!"

"It's called "swapping spit" for a reason."

"Really?" Beast Boy asked, then shook his head to wipe the shocked expression off his face and added, "I mean, _yeah_ , I totally _knew_ that."

" _Sure_."

"Well how would YOU know?! It's not like YOU'VE ever kissed anybody!"

Raven's face remained impassive. Beast Boy's eyes widened.

"Wait? Have you?!" He turned to Cyborg, "have YOU?!"

"...uh..."

"Am I the ONLY one who -"

"So," Raven redirected the conversation, "if Robin spit after Ravager bit him, then the stain on the floor probably has her DNA in it?"

"Exactly," Cyborg smiled, "which means we might actually have a shot at figuring out who Ravager is."

"Or _where_ she is."

"Are you guys seriously not going to answer me?" Beast Boy demanded.

"Do you wanna find your kids or are you more interested in knowing how many guys Raven's kissed?"

"I don't CARE how many..." Beast Boy looked between Cyborg's smirk and Raven's pointed glare, then ended with an "uh...find the kids please."

"That's what I thought," Cyborg grinned.

Beast Boy folded his arms and scowled as Cyborg took out the kit and started collecting samples.

Despite her even expression, Raven had to fight another urge to smile. Yes, things were going horribly. Her once-perfect world had fallen to pieces around her. But Beast Boy was still arguing with her, and Cyborg was still teasing him, and for a few brief moments they had all been able to put current events aside and regain a tiny fraction of what they'd lost. And Raven couldn't help but be grateful.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

Robin took a deep breath, as he often did before steeling himself to open his eyes and meet the day. This time, though, his nose was met with something like a wall of fibers, preventing him from taking in the anticipated amount of oxygen, and filling his senses with the smell of -

" _Star?_ "

Robin opened his eyes and tried to shift so he could see her face, but found himself unable to move, due to her tight grip around his chest.

"Star," he used the hand not currently pinned beneath her torso to shake her shoulder, "we have to get up."

"R-Robin?" Starfire's eyes fluttered open, and Robin's heart all but broke as he saw the joy with which she smiled at him and hugged him closer, abruptly die as memories flooded back, so that her brow creased as she pulled her arms back and turned away.

"Star," he watched her as she sat on the other end of his bed, facing the window, "we...should probably get up."

She didn't respond.

"Starfire?"

Robin crawled towards her, until his hand could touch her shoulder. But as he reached out, Starfire stood, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You...don't have to come out now, if you don't want to," Robin tried to be understanding, but couldn't stop himself from adding, "but every minute we stay here is another minute Ryan and Marie are still with Ravager. I just-"

"You are right," Starfire dropped her arms and turned back towards him, "I will not let the Ravager do any more of the damage."

"Damage?"

Damage was impersonal. Cyborg wouldn't call scratches on the T-car "damages" - he would treat them as a personal attack. He'd cry out with his fist in the air, declaring that his baby had been _assaulted_. Yet here Starfire was, referring to the little boy she seemed to love at _least_ as much as Cyborg loved his car, as something to be swept up with the chaos Ravager had caused when she released Plasmus and Cinderblock and Overload - _damages_. Just an incidental.

That wasn't the Starfire Robin knew.

"She is a threat to our people," Starfire stated, "and we cannot allow her to become something that we are not capable of defeating."

"Aren't you...concerned about Ryan?" Robin blurted.

Starfire was correct, of course - Ravager had to be stopped. But why wasn't she crying about her missing kid? He'd seen her absolutely inconsolable over having to give Silkie up, and here her son was taken and she didn't care? Something didn't add up.

"I possess much of the concern," Starfire affirmed, with minimal emotion, "however, I have realized that the people of Earth are no less important than he is. It is our duty to protect them," she continued, "and, at the present moment, defeating Ravager is more important than the rescuing of Ryan."

"But...he's your _son_..."

"As he is yours," Starfire nodded, "and you were right," she said again, "our people need us. Ryan and Marie arrived, and they prevented us from doing what we have promised. Our job is to protect the people of Earth and the people of Jump City. Ryan...is a distraction," she swallowed, as if the words were still stuck in her throat, "we must focus on what we _must_ do. Not what we _want_ to."

"What do you mean?" Robin stood up from the bed and stepped towards her, "what do you _want_?"

"What I want," Starfire said hotly, "is to have the bumgorfs here where they _belong_. To be happy and have the love and the fun with their _family_ and never be forced to leave ever again," she paused, regaining her cooler demeanor from before, "but that is not what is best for our people," she stated again, "we are needed by more than just two of the children, and we cannot forget our duty."

Robin closed his gaping jaw, "but, they're our _kids_ ," he grabbed her arms pulling her towards him, "it's ok to be upset - you're allowed to _care_."

"And yet," Starfire removed his hands, "you did not care when you said they had to be sent away."

"I didn't mean sent away with _Ravager!_ "

Starfire sighed.

"You said that we cannot continue to protect, if we had to do the raising of the bumgorfs," Starfire recalled, "and I believe you are correct. Thus, we must first destroy the Ravager, and only then can we attempt to retrieve them."

"But..." Robin countered, "there's no guarantee we can even _beat_ Ravager, what we have to do is rescue the kids, _then_ we can-"

"Then they shall do the distracting and Ravager will gain strength and we shall not be prepared when she attacks."

Robin was quiet. She was using his own logic against him. Finally, someone saw the whole situation from _his_ point of view...and he _hated_ it. Because he was right. Like always. But _he_ was supposed to be the voice of reason. Not Starfire. Starfire was meant to be idealistic, and loving, and kind, and hopeful...and...she wasn't going to be _any_ of those things if she kept talking like that. Yeah, Robin was supposed to be the voice of reason. But everyone else had their own roles to play. That's why they were a _team_ \- everyone's different contributions mattered. That's why they weren't just cold-cut predators taking down villains without ever sleeping. Because Robin wasn't the only one with a say. Because he _shouldn't_ be the only one. They were a _team_ , not a dictatorship.

"That makes sense," Robin responded, "but that doesn't make it _right_."

"There is no right and wrong, Robin," Starfire held his gaze, "there is only responsibility."

"You want to be responsible for Ryan and Marie getting tortured?!" Robin's voice rose.

Starfire didn't wince, but her frown deepened, and her eyes flickered, almost imperceptibly. Of course, nothing was imperceptible to Robin.

"I know you don't want that," Robin took hold of her arms again, "I _know_ you-"

"You know _nothing."_

Starfire's glare pierced Robin's mask, and, as her eyes bored their way into his own, he realized - he'd never told Starfire about his eyes. He'd told _Beast Boy_ how similar they were to his mother's, and how much he tried to shut her memory away, and Starfire had come into the room at some point and might've heard, but he'd never _told_ her. He'd never told her about his parents. Never mentioned what happened on the worst day of his life. He'd never told her the details of how he started fighting crime. She had no idea that he grew up in two completely different worlds, with two families whose members were nothing alike. He'd never suggested that she meet the man that adopted him, or the old gentleman that raised him. He hadn't ever wanted to invite her back to Gotham - in fact, he dreaded the idea that she would ever even _pass_ his mentor on the street. He wanted Starfire to stay in the world that _he_ controlled, where the events that changed his life would never _ever_ happen to another child, because someone had failed to apprehend a villain. A world where bats stayed in their caves. A world that Robin knew, deep down, without a fraction of a doubt, that he would give up in a _second_ if it meant his parents could come back.

Robin knew all of this, and Starfire did not. The girl he loved, the one who cared the most, and forced and _pleaded_ to be let into his heart. She knew _nothing_. And what did Robin really know about _her_?

He hadn't known she'd had a giant for a nanny, and she never told him what happened to her absent parents. Were they even alive? Did Blackfire do something to them when she took over the throne? If she did, then why didn't Star care? Robin could name at least ten different Tamaranean dishes, at least twenty Tamaranean words - but he could barely list _five_ personal things about Starfire, from _before_ the Titans. Because, the same way Starfire lived in Robin's carefully crafted world, removed from the chains of the past, Robin lived in hers. It was a shared world, one the Titans had each helped to craft, with only the knowledge that they wanted each other to have. About who they were, _now_ , and not _then_. Because it was painful, and dark, and they allowed each other to forget.

But Robin loved Starfire. She was his closest friend, his favorite teammate, the literal, green-glowing light of his life - shouldn't he know _something_? Shouldn't he at least have _asked_? But he hadn't. It was easier to just pretend they had no past without each other. So yeah, Robin knew her favorite color, and her favorite foods, and all about her fascination with the world of fungus - he knew things the other Titans couldn't, like the taste of her lips, and the way she felt as she snuggled against him. But he had no idea what _made_ her who she was. He'd seen a glimmer, just now. A veiled flinch, like a punch to the gut. One that, apparently, was _not_ , because of Ryan. And Robin couldn't even begin to guess where it came from.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, dropping his hands.

"As am I."

Starfire turned and walked out of the room, and Robin's eyes followed her.

"I want to know, though," he said aloud, not sure whether or not he hoped that she would hear him from the hall.

"No," her voice trailed back to him, "you do not."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"I'm HUNGRY!" Marie hollered.

"You'll only eat if you can conquer your opponent."

"What's coon-ker?" Ryan asked, from the opposite side of the wired ring.

"To conquer is to defeat," Rose stepped between the children, "and to defeat, is to _destroy_."

"Destroy is like break," Marie stated.

"Very good, my little Witch," Rose smiled.

"That's a bad word!"

"Don't call her a witch!"

Ryan and Marie yelled simultaneously.

"Oh?" Rose smirked, "and why shouldn't I?"

"Because," Ryan repeated Marie, "it's a BAD WORD."

"Well," Rose feigned a sigh, "I suppose you'll just have to get used to it, won't you, _Beast_?"

"DON'T CALL HIM THAT!" Marie shrieked.

"You're not apposed to be MEAN!"

"Mean?" Rose laughed, "how _precious_."

"You ARE MEAN!" Ryan cried again, visibly upset at being ignored.

"On the contrary," Rose kept her eyes averted from the boy, "I've been a perfect hostess. I've given you your own rooms, new clothes," she gestured to their custom outfits, each outfitted similarly to her own, _"I_ think you should try and be a little more grateful."

"Nothing here is _great,_ " Marie said sassily, "our rooms don't even have any _toys_ in them!"

"An' I didn't have a pillow," Ryan said.

"And no blanket," Marie added.

"Those are luxuries you have yet to earn," Rose informed casually, "now," she continued, more harshly, "stop procrastinating. I expect _one_ of you to be unconscious within the next thirty seconds, or neither of you eat today."

"What's un-con-test?" Ryan sounded out.

"It means," Rose said, losing patience, "that one of you ends up on the floor, because you used your powers to attack each other and one of you was knocked out."

Ryan took a moment to process what Rose said, but Marie immediately cried, "I'm not gonna hurt Ryan!"

"His name is _Beast_ , from now on," Rose smirked, "just like yours is _Witch_."

She couldn't have them using their real names. If she was going to raise them to be soulless apprentices, they had to relinquish all connection to their past. Besides; it was rather amusing to watch the way they fought her on it. She had to admit, she was impressed with their resolve. Was it because they were the spawn of heroes? Or were all children equally as stubborn?

"DON'T CALL HER THAT!"

"It's her _name_ , Beast," Rose reiterated, "you're under _my_ control now," she grinned, still giddy with the knowledge, "and I'll call you whatever I want to."

"STOP IT!" Marie demanded.

"Stop what?" Rose stepped towards the little girl, "I'm you're master now," Rose knelt to her level, leaning in, "and I can do," she tapped Marie's nose, " _whatever_ ," she tapped it again, "I," another tap, "want."

Marie growled and hit her hand away, but Rose caught her hand and pulled it behind her, making the child screech in pain.

"I _do_ hate it when you act out like this," Rose said sweetly.

"LEAVE MARIE ALONE!"

"But if you _really_ want me to hurt you, then-"

"ARGHHHHHHHH!"

A Beast whose height approached Rose's own leapt upon her back, knocking her to the ground. Rose lifted her legs and kicked up, making contact with the Beast's torso and forcing it back while she stood.

The Beast growled again, and lunged for her, but Rose easily jumped up and landed on it's back, grabbing hold of its fur and kicking hard into it's sides with her heavy boots.

The Beast shrieked, and whipped its body back and forth trying in vain to rid itself of its rider.

"Oh, alright," Rose sighed, "if you _insist_ ," Rose front-flipped off of the Beast, landing right in front of Marie.

"What do you suppose would happen if I were to hit you again?" Rose posed the question, as if truly wondering.

"Don't TOUCH me!"

Rose laughed and kicked her down, with substantially less force than it took to topple her biological father.

The Beast howled again, charging straight for Rose, but the white-haired woman just faced the Beast head-on.

"Come get me," she challenged, beckoning it with her hands.

The Beast came at her with full force, which, though weaker than it's older counterpart, was still significant. Especially when Rose jumped up, touching the ground again only once the Beast had driven past her, and crashed into the black wall Marie summoned to prevent herself from being crushed by it.

The impact forced the Beast's head back, and cast him, _hard_ , onto the unforgiving metal ground. As Beast turned into boy, Marie dropped her shield and ran to him.

"Ryan?" She shook him desperately, "Ryan? Are you ok? I'm sorry!" Her eyes teared up, "I'm sorry - ok? So get up!"

Ryan's bruised body didn't move.

"Ryan? Wake up! Come on," Marie shook him again, tears starting to fall from her blue eyes, "Ryan? RYAN!"

Rose laid a hand on her shoulder, causing the child to look up.

"W-why isn't he getting up?" She asked, forgetting, for a moment, that she hated the woman, and instead treating her as she would any other adult. Hoping that they, in her time of need, would have the answers she needed.

Rose shook her head, noting the steady rise and fall of the boy's chest. Her Beast would live. The chips she inserted into them as they slept last night transmitted their vitals, if she wished to check them. But Rose was quite familiar with the subject of a fatal blow, and that hadn't even come close.

"Well done," she said instead, "breakfast awaits," Rose gestured in the direction of the dining room.

"I'm NOT going without Ryan!"

Rose picked the girl up and threw her over her shoulder, overruling her.

"Put me DOWN!" Marie's eyes glowed, and her dark energy unleashed, about to strike at Rose when a bot jumped up and attached itself securely to her back, eliminating her ability to use her powers.

"GET IT OFF ME!" Marie uselessly scratched at her back.

"Good try," Rose mocked, continuing her walk still unperturbed, "but you have _so_ much to learn..."


	54. Chapter 54

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 54

Starfire walked into the main ops room, and scanned it for signs of life.

"Friends?"

She ventured further in, peeking behind the kitchen counter and over the couch, but found only a lone mutant silkworm nibbling on the coffee table.

"Hello, Silkie," she forced herself to smile as she picked the drooling creature up, "I see you have already done the enjoying of breakfast."

The worm whined in protest as she carried it to the kitchen.

"Perhaps I can prepare something with more of the nourishment - I do not believe that tables possess much of the healthiness."

Silkie ignored her, and promptly crawled into a cabinet to munch on the shelves Cyborg had so recently installed.

Starfire noted the dishes in the sink, the drops of day-old syrup already dry on the counters. All that remained out was a cold cup of tea, which Raven had probably made long before Stafire or Robin had awoken.

THUMP

Starfire winced at the unmistakable sound of yet another shelf collapsing due to Silkie. Perhaps, with everything else, Cyborg would not notice.

She pulled the fridge open at the same time as the common room doors, and stiffened as Robin approached and asked, "are there any eggs left?"

Starfire shut the fridge and shook her head. There were no zorka berries, either. It seemed both Robin _and_ Silkie would go hungry.

BUURP

Silkie stumbled from the cabinet, smiling contentedly. Perhaps it was only Robin that would starve.

Starfire avoided Robin's gaze as he brewed his coffee, and hugged Silkie to her chest. It did not feel the way it used to. Where was the joy she felt whenever her first bumgorf was near?

Starfire looked into Silkie's beady black eyes, and he smiled, before shifting in her arms to better access her delicious hair.

She realized, with much guilt, that it was another tiny creature that now possessed her heart. A green one. With Ryand'r's face and Beast Boy's ears. And, sadly for Silkie, it was not him.

"Star..." Starfire turned to Robin out of respect, rather than the desire to engage with him, "he's...chewing through your shirt..."

"Eek!" Starfire ripped the worm from off her chest, saving what remained of her shoulder strap. Apparently her hair was less appetizing than Silkie had initially thought.

Robin moved to pour his coffee, then stopped, and started, "Star, we-"

"I must change," she excused herself, rushing past him.

She knew what he wanted to talk about, and it was of no use. She would not tell him. There were some things best left buried. And even so, if anyone were to understand, it would _not_ be Robin.

The only time Starfire had ever come _close_ to telling anyone was years ago, when the memories were still fresh. The titans had just been formed, and she had been so desperate to fit in, so desperate to be liked - and she _had_ been. Sort of.

The boys had liked her, though of course her customs had seemed odd to them - but no more so than Beast Boy's love of the tofu, which Cyborg claimed was evil - and that was worse, was it not? Indeed, they had all accepted her - all but one.

Starfire had not known why Raven continued to reject her. She had tried to suggest all manner of different activities that the magazines and the boys had said that girls here liked, but Raven refused all of them. At the time, Starfire was unaware that not all Earthlings enjoyed the same things. She had been fooled by the boys and their shared love of the pizza and the video games. Tamaraneans also enjoyed the same activities - combat and vicious games and feats of strength and glorious Tamaranean dishes - so Starfire had thought that Raven hated _her_ , and not just her suggestions.

Then came the night on which the friendship between Raven and Starfire truly began - they had done the switching of bodies, and powers - and suddenly they _had_ to do the girl-talk, and the hanging of out, because, if they were to save their friends, the friends that actually _liked_ Starfire, then they had to understand one another. Starfire was the one to bring this fact to Raven's attention, and Raven had agreed.

"I was born in a place called Azarath," Raven began, and told Starfire of the monks and how she had been taught to control her powers and how she finally had had enough and ran away. But she had forgotten to mention that her father was the demon Trigon and that there was a prophecy in which she helped to bring the end of the world and possibly more things that she still had not told Starfire or their other friends. But Starfire had not known this. She had simply thought that Raven was sharing, for even the little bit that Raven said seemed like so very much to Starfire. And Starfire had wanted to return the honesty.

She had started much the same. "My place of birth was Tamaran," she had said. "My first flight was as a newborn - all Tamaraneans begin their life with the joy of flight." Starfire had smiled as she said it. "Of course, I do not recall the thought that first gave me the joy," she had tapped one of Raven's pale fingers against Raven's chin, "perhaps it was the sight of sky, or a stuffed plorthak, or my knorfk-"

"What about your starbolts?" Raven had interrupted. Starfire had not expected it, and asked, "what?"

"Is 'righteous fury'," Raven had quoted, "something you experience at birth? Like the 'joy of flight'?"

Starfire had hesitated.

A friend was someone who _cared_. Someone who shared in the joys of one's life - but also in in the _pain_. And this was something Starfire could not endure. Telling another person, whose eyes would tear, and voice would rise, and heart would ache, and tongue would question. Had Starfire not shed a thousand times the tears, and howled at the Psions until her throat was raw, and demanded answers from even the almighty X'Hal? Starfire would not - she _could_ not - watch another person do the same on her behalf. It would remind her, and she might go back to the way she was before she managed to escape. She'd believed that death could not possibly be worse, and in her desperation for it all to stop, she'd risked her life and fought her hardest, and, somehow, some way, she had managed to escape. But recounting it would remind her, and bring those buried feeling back to life. She had no guarantee that she could come back from them a second time.

Starfire had thought that Raven did not like her, that Raven did not _care_ , and so she was the best person to tell, for she would do none of the things Starfire feared.

But then, Raven had sat before her, and told Starfire things she had not told the others. She had _confided_ in her. That was something _friends_ did. And they _were_ friends, Starfire had realized. And so she could not share her whole story.

"No," she had said, "I was unable to use the starbolts until I reached maturity."

And Raven had said, "because you're _so_ mature."

Starfire had not understood the meaning of 'sarcasm' at the time, and so she had continued on, with only the relevant details and stories about life on Tamaran that did not feature her as Princess Koriand'r, the vulnerable and the sweet, both of which were weaknesses that her older sister had preyed upon before they were both ripped from their home world.

There was once a time Starfire could have told Raven of her past. But there was never a time when she could have told Robin. He had loved her from the beginning - almost as much as she loved him.

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"I can't see!"

"So? It's not like you would understand what you were looking at, anyway."

"Uh, it's a _computer_ ," Beast Boy pushed the top of Raven's raised hood down, trying his best to look over it, "DUH."

"Actually," Raven shoved him off, but pulled down her hood nonetheless, "it's _code_."

"So? I-"

"Can y'all be quiet?" Cyborg snapped, his bulky frame blocking the computer screen, "I'm _trying_ to work here!"

"I do _too_ know code!" Beast Boy hissed, "who was the one that hacked out computer system in the middle of the night and accessed all those super secret encrypted folders to find out when your birthday was?"

Raven turned her head from the screen.

"ME," he jabbed a thumb at his sternum, " _that's_ who."

Raven raised a pointed brow at him, "you're _actually_ bragging about that?"

"Yeah," he puffed out his chest proudly, "'cause I was the only one _hacky_ enough to do it."

"More like the only one _stupid_ enough."

"Hey! If you actually WANT to keep your stuff private, maybe you should just _hide it better_."

"If _you_ actually WANT to live long enough to find the kids, maybe YOU should stop _going through my things._ "

"If _both_ y'all WANT to live long enough to _have_ the kids we're tryin' to find," Raven's cheeks turned pink, "then KEEP IT DOWN!"

"What?" Beast Boy looked from Cyborg to Raven, not understanding the joke, "what'd he-oh..."

Beast Boy's cheeks turned red in kind, "no WAY we'd ever-"

"You said it yourself," Cyborg antagonized, continuing his database search, "you're always trying to get yourself into her business."

"DUDE!" Beast Boy leaned in front of Cyborg, blocking his view of the screen, "I do NOT!"

Cyborg hit enter then leaned back in his chair and started counting on his fingers, "you got into her encrypted personal files on the tower's database, you snuck into her room to spy on her little boyfriend, you went into her _mind_ -"

"SO? You were there with me!"

"I wasn't the one who picked up that mirror," Cyborg folded his arms, "all I'm saying is, you're always in her space!"

"That's different then...UGH," Beast Boy hmphed, "you _know_!"

"Oh, really?" Cyborg smirked, "you hang out in her room, you sleep in her bod-"

A nearby piece of medical equipment cracked.

"It's just not that different!" Cyborg said quickly, "you guys being married, I mean - my parents spent _all_ their time together. At home, in the lab - they were always _near_ each other," Beast Boy and Raven each took a large sidestep apart, "and sometimes married people have kids - I just don't think it's crazy, that's all!"

"Maybe it's not crazy for _Beast Boy_ ," Raven tried to regain some shred of her dignity, "but _I'm_ not the one that keeps bothering _him_."

"Oh, really? Who's the one who's been sleeping in _my_ room?"

"That wasn't exactly my choice," Raven folded her arms.

"And whose idea was it for us to have a sleepover in _your_ room?"

"That's _not_ wha-"

DING

The three titans' heads turned to the screen, currently glowing green and declaring, in bold typeface "MATCH DETECTED".

"Match detected?" Beast Boy read aloud, "what does that mean?"

"It means," Raven interpreted, as Cyborg started typing, "that we know who Ravager is."

"Not exactly."

Raven and Beast Boy turned back to Cyborg.

"But we _do_ know who she's related to."

"Huh?"

"Who?"

The two titans leaned over Cyborg's shoulders to get a better look.

In the middle of the screen before them was a bunch of data detailing matching portions of genome for two subjects, a line dividing the two split vertically down the middle.

On the top left it said "Unknown DNA".

On the top right, it said "Slade".

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

"She's his _daughter?!_ " Robin cried, as if the evidence weren't up on the monitor, visible to everyone.

"It's a 50% match," Cyborg said, as if he hadn't stated this already, "that's how much DNA you usually share if someone's your parent."

"Are we _sure_ it's HIS DNA?" Robin demanded.

"We took it from his mask, Robin," Raven referenced their keepsake from Slade, the one that caused Robin to start hallucinating the very man they were discussing. It was rare that they had anything of Slade's in their possession that wasn't irreparably damaged, so they'd swabbed it. Naturally, it was a dead end. Though the DNA was human, there was no record of anyone with his genetic markers. Which either meant that Slade had somehow erased any criminal records that might have contained such information, was never tried or incarcerated for doing anything illegal, or, more likely, both. So _no_ , they couldn't be _completely_ sure that the trace DNA they'd retrieved was his, but Slade worked alone, and the chances of them randomly finding DNA on Slade's mask that _wasn't_ Slade's but somehow matched Ravager's, a villain that admitted she had worked with him and bore the trademarks of his uniform, were _highly_ improbable.

"I wasn't before," Cyborg responded, "but I am _now_."

"She looks like she's _our_ age," Beast Boy stated, "Where _was_ she?" A series of confused stares made him add, "like, when Slade was fighting us and everything - was she _helping_ him, or...something?"

Robin shook his head, "I would've seen her."

"Why would Slade go after Robin of friend Terra," Beast Boy winced at the former titan's name, "if he had his own daughter to succeed him?"

"Maybe she wasn't good enough," Raven suggested.

"Yeah," Beast Boy scoffed, "it's not like she broke into the tower and kicked our butts super easily."

"It doesn't make any sense," Robin leaned into the screen, searching for meaning in its pixels, "was he hiding her? It's not like she appeared out of thin air."

"Maybe her mom was looking after her," Cyborg suggested.

"You don't end up with skills like hers if you have a normal childhood," Robin countered.

"I didn't say she had a _good_ mom," Cyborg defended himself.

"It's obvious Slade trained her," Robin dismissed Cyborg's comments, "but if she'd been around when I was, or when Terra was," Beast Boy winced again, "then he wouldn't have needed us," Robin turned away from the computer, to face the team, "which means he must've started working with her after we fought Trigon. That was the last time we saw him alive."

"That makes sense," Cyborg nodded, "but it doesn't explain why he's been hiding her. If he's even _alive_ , which," Cyborg added, "we don't even have proof of."

"If Terra's alive," Raven ignored Beast Boy's frown, "then Slade could be too. Just because we didn't find him doesn't mean he's dead. I'm not sure what happened...when I reversed everything. Everything went back to normal when I defeated Trigon, but I'm not sure if it was a time reversal, or something else..." Raven admitted, "there could have been unintended consequences."

"Like Slade being de-skulled?" Beast Boy asked.

"If by de-skulled you mean being brought back to life, then yes."

"Whoa," Beast Boy said in awe, "your powers can _literally_ de-zombify people. I don't get why you're so scared of horror movies, Raven - you could actually turn zombies into _people_. It would take, like, _all_ the scaryness out of it."

Raven sighed heavily, and shook her head.

"Why does is matter if Slade is the Ravager's father? Are we not more concerned with the defeating of Ravager?"

"We would be," Robin replied, "if we could have beaten her before. But we lost," Robin reminded, "so we can't just treat her like any other criminal. We have to treat her like _Slade_. We need to find her weakness," Robin hit his right fist into his left palm, "and the only way we can do that is if we understand her."

"Then," Starfire stepped closer to the screen, looking from it to Robin, "would it not be better to do the surveillance and _find_ her when she commits her next crime?"

"We will," Robin agreed, "but there's no guarantee that she'll do anything else."

"Not with those two," Cyborg mumbled, unable to stop himself from a slight shot of bitterness at their various acts of destruction throughout the tower, "if they're acting the way I think they are, she'll be too busy chasing them to do _anything_."

Everyone else glared at him for the comment.

"What?" He cried in defense, "y'all know it's true!"

"Since we might not be getting any new evidence," Robin turned back to Starfire, "we have to search in the other direction. We have to figure out how she _became_ Ravager. When she started working with Slade, when she met him, who raised her - the things that make her who she is," he concluded, "that's the only way we're going to understand her, and know what we're really up against."

"The _only_ way to understand her?" Starfire asked.

"Well, it's worth a shot," Cyborg agreed, not noticing the faraway look in her eyes, "it's not like we have any other leads."

/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\

One thing had become abundantly clear to Rose; she _never_ wanted children. If she ever had the misfortune of having a newborn thrust upon her, and by some sordid circumstance, was _not_ able to throw it off a bridge, she would certainly have taught it to have the decency to respect their elders. Or at the very least some basic manners.

General insolence aside, the titan's children were absolute _heathens_. They rarely expressed appreciation, they refused to eat their meals, they never excused themselves, and the language the little girl used was _not_ appropriate for a child of her tender age.

It wasn't often that Rose allowed herself to think of her mother. Lilian. Sweet-Lili. Lili. Like the flower. Like a rose was. She had delighted in the fact, as a child. She hadn't had the rebellious streak most children had, when they attempted to see the world on their own, abandoning their parents and disregarding their wishes as they ventured into the unknown, beyond the confines of the womb and crib. Rose had stayed close.

Lili had taught her daughter respect. The virtues of patience, and politeness, and how a formal bow and a few words of flattery and a smile could do far more for you than harsh jabs and a cutting tongue. Rose never felt the need to use vulgarities. It was unnecessary, not to mention indecent. Expletives make one appear to be of a low class, her mother had told her, and no one would look down on _her_ child. So Rose had learned, and bloomed, and charmed her way throughout the world, until the brutal waters of fate crashed in and drowned her beautiful flower-mother, forcing the thorns from out her fragile stem.

But she was still a flower, on the outside. Still quick with a smile and a well-timed compliment. Still careful with her words, remembering her manners. She knew her mother would approve. It was the other unsavory aspects of her life she wondered if her mother would have supported. Rose's instinct would be no, but then again, Lili had run her own bordello and fallen in love with a mercenary, so her morals weren't _completely_ pure.

Rose had appreciated that fact, once she had met her father. It made her training easier to stomach, knowing it wouldn't go completely against her mother's teachings. Defending yourself was definitely within her mother's credo. But these children were different.

Marie ran at Rose and jumped with her leg outstretched in an attempted kick to the stomach. Rose blocked it easily, using her forearm to impact Marie's chest and push her back onto the ground. Marie landed with a thud and gasped for breath.

"Try it again," Rose commanded.

"No," Marie scowled.

"I said," Rose stepped towards her, "try it _again_."

"And _I_ said NO," Marie haughtily replied.

"I told you," Rose repeated herself for quite literally the fiftieth time, "if you don't make any progress, neither of you are getting dinner."

"We're not hungry."

"And neither of you will get to sleep."

"We're not tired."

"Not yet," Rose affirmed, "but you _will_ be once you've been awake for 48 hours," Rose walked towards the little girl and started circling her, slowly, "you'll start by getting tired, lethargic, less motivated, but as time goes on, you'll get progressively more irritated, and angry-"

"I'm already angry!" Marie yelled, causing the floor to glow back.

A bot appeared from the shadows and launched itself onto her back. Rose continued as if nothing had happened.

"Your judgment will start slipping, and you'll probably start getting aggressive. But you won't be able to control yourself, will you? Your powers might attack _me_ ," Rose leaned down, looking into Marie's eyes, "but they might also hurt _Ryan_."

"I'm not gonna hurt Ryan!"

"Not intentionally, I suppose," Rose agreed, standing up, "where _is_ he, by the way? I feel as though he hasn't spoken in _hours_ \- oh, _wait_." Rose pointed to one of the monitors on her adjacent control room, showing Ryan whimpering in his sleep on his cell's floor, "he's still recovering from that nasty bump from earlier. How _did_ he get that?" Rose asked aloud, looking casually around the room as if in search for an answer.

"It wasn't my fault!" Marie cried.

"What wasn't - _ah_ , yes. I remember now," Rose turned her gaze back to Marie, "it _was_ you, wasn't it? You put up a shield as he was running towards you."

"It was a asident!" Marie shouted, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

"Does it matter?" Rose asked, "either way, _you're_ the reason he's suffering."

"NO!" Marie shook her head furiously, tears streaming down her face.

"You can deny all you want," Rose turned, facing the screens again as they all turned from surveillance to a recap of Marie and Ryan's collision, "but that doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"Ryan!" Marie wailed, running towards the screens, as if she could somehow jump into the images and save him.

Rose caught her mid-run, and knelt down to her level.

"YOU did that," Rose told her, "and you're going to do it again if you don't listen to me." Marie's lip trembled, but she stayed silent. "So _I_ think, you should start paying me a little more respect. Because if you don't," Rose tilted her head towards the looped video, "Ryan's going to pay the price."

Marie's eyes locked onto the screens, watching as Ryan slammed, again and again and _again_ , into her forcefield. _She_ did that. And Rose said she would make her do it again.

"So," Rose asked, drawing her attention back, "would you like to try again?"

Marie ripped her eyes from the monitors and focused back on Rose.

She nodded.


End file.
